Majority News Releases
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Introduction Of The Two-Month Continuing Resolution
Today, Chairwoman Lowey introduced a continuing resolution to fully fund the federal government through November 21 at fiscal year 2019 levels, terms and conditions. This is a welcome development, and I will urge the Senate to take up this bill and pass it next week and allow the Committee more time to negotiate bipartisan bills to implement the bipartisan budget agreement reached in July. I look forward to continuing to work with my dear friend, Chairman Shelby, on a path forward. # # # # #… Continue Reading
09.18.19
Statement of Vice Chairman Leahy (D-Vt.) Opposing the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 2470
Today, we will vote on whether to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 2470, the House Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Energy and Water, and the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bills. I strongly urge Senators to vote no. The underlying House bills are good bills. If this were a vote to consider the House bills, it would be easy. But that is not what we are doing. Senator McConnell has made clear that H.R. 2470 is simply a vehicle for considerati… Continue Reading
09.17.19
SUMMARY: FY 2020 Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies provides discretionary funding of $23.1 billion. This amount is $58 million over the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and $4.1 billion over the budget request. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) Ranking Member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies subcommittee, said: This bill will support critical… Continue Reading
09.17.19
SUMMARY: FY 2020 FSGG Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2020 Senate Financial Services and General Government bill provides $24.347 billion to related agencies, which is $924 million more than funding provided in fiscal year 2019, and $251 million higher than the President's budget request. Key Points & Highlights The bill provides funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and more than two dozen independent federal agencies. … Continue Reading
09.17.19
SUMMARY: Energy and Water Development FY 2020 Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations approved fiscal year 2020 Energy and Water Development funding legislation that totals $48.86 billion in discretionary budget authority, which is $4.226 billion more than the fiscal year 2019 level and $10.944 billion above the President's requested level. Non-defense activities see an increase of $2.266 billion, emphasizing the importance of funding the nation's infrastructure, scientific research, and technology development prior… Continue Reading
09.17.19
SUMMARY: Subcommittee Approves FY2020 Transportation, HUD Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2020 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Senate Appropriations bill provides $74.3 billion in discretionary budget authority - $2.6 billion more than the fiscal year 2019 enacted level, and $15.8 billion more than the President's request. The programs and activities supported by this bill include significant responsibilities entrusted to the Federal government and its partners to protect human health and safety by providi… Continue Reading
09.12.19
Senate Republicans Reject Investing In American Communities In Favor Of Trump’s Ineffective Vanity Wall
WASHINGTON (Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019) - Senate Appropriations Committee Republicans Thursday rejected a proposal by Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to invest in American communities, instead directing billions of taxpayer dollars to President Trump's ineffective border wall. The Leahy proposal would redirect $5 billion from the Republicans' allocations for the Appropriations Committee's 12 subcommittees, commonly referred to as 302(b)s, from President Trump's ineffective wall to i… Continue Reading
09.12.19
Republicans Reject Amendment Preventing President Trump From Stealing From The Military And Military Families To Pay For Ineffective Border Wall
WASHINGTON (Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019) - Senate Appropriations Committee Republicans Thursday rejected an amendment offered by Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Vice Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) meant to protect funding appropriated for the military and military families from being raided by President Trump to pay for an ineffective, vanity wall along the southern border. Leahy said: "The power of the purse is … Continue Reading
09.12.19
SUMMARY: Senate Appropriations Committee FY2020 Defense Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. - The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2020, provides $694.9 billion for the Department of Defense, in accordance with the budget agreement. This amount is $20.5 billion over the enacted level, and a decrease of $3 billion from the President's request. Of the funds provided in the bill, $622.5 billion is for base budget requirements, $70.6 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations, and $1.7 billion for response to natural disasters impacting military facilities. Un… Continue Reading
09.12.19
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), On 302(b) Allocations, the FY 2020 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill, and the FY 2020 Defense Appropriations Bill
I am glad to be here at the first markup for the Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations bills. I know the Chairman and I both wish we could have begun this process sooner, but I hope we can make good progress over the next few weeks and put ourselves on the path to enacting all twelve appropriations bills as soon as possible. Today we will consider the Committee 302(b) allocations, the Fiscal Year 2020 Defense Appropriations Bill, and the Fiscal Year 2020 Energy & Water bill. Chairman Shelby and… Continue Reading
09.10.19
Vice Chairman Leahy Floor Address On President Trump Raiding Military Dollars For The Wall, And On The Assault Of Congress's Constitutional Powers Of The Purse
Last week the Administration announced that it was raiding $3.6 billion from military construction projects to pay for President Trump's ineffective and controversial border wall. A new middle school at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, a child development center at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, a new elementary school in Puerto Rico, and a fire-rescue station at Tyndall Air Force base in Florida, are among the projects canceled on orders from a President who apparently values a cynical campaign pro… Continue Reading
09.10.19
SUMMARY: Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Advances FY2020 Bill
Washington, D.C. - The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2020, provides $694.9 billion for the Department of Defense, in accordance with the budget agreement. This amount is $20.5 billion over the enacted level, and a decrease of $3 billion from the President's request. Of the funds provided in the bill, $622.5 billion is for base budget requirements, $70.6 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations, and $1.7 billion for response to natural disasters impacting military facilities. Un… Continue Reading
09.09.19
What is the Cost Of President Trump’s Wall?
Q: What Is The Cost Of Less Than 23 Miles Of President Trump's Ineffective Border Wall? A: Stealing From Children of Military Families. To build less than 23 miles of his ineffective border wall, President Trump cancelled 11 projects to replace schools and build a child development center on American military bases around the world. This included the School at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Butner Elementary School in North Carolina, and the Ramey Unit School in Puerto Rico, impacting thousands … Continue Reading
09.05.19
NEWS: Schatz, Leahy, Durbin Statement On DoD Plan To Defund Military Projects To Pay For Trump Wall
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement after the Department of Defense announced it will divert $3.6 billion from military construction projects to pay for President Trump… Continue Reading
09.03.19
Leahy, Durbin, Schatz REAX To President Trump Robbing From The Military To Pay For His Vanity Wall
"Military construction projects are carefully scrutinized by Congress. We work with the military services to validate and review these projects thoroughly. It is vital that we balance their operational necessity with existing fiscal constraints. "The President is robbing the men and women of our armed services of funds meant for critical construction projects that are necessary to serve our troops, support our allies, deter our adversaries, and care for our military families - all to build … Continue Reading
08.01.19
REAX of Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Senate Passage Of The Bipartisan Budget Agreement
Today, Congress once again rejected the shortsighted, reckless cuts proposed by the Trump Administration for the entire non-military side of the federal budget, in favor of a bipartisan budget agreement that will allow us to make responsible investments here at home in our communities and bring a final end to the devastating policy of sequestration. In the coming weeks, the Appropriations Committee will use this agreement to build upon the 2018 bipartisan budget agreement, and direct new resou… Continue Reading
07.22.19
REAX of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) To the Bipartisan Budget Agreement Reached Between Congress and The President
A budget is where we set our priorities as a nation, and President Trump's annual budget proposals have shown time and again that his administration's priority is to slash investments here at home for American families and pour money into an ineffective wall along our Southern Border. Today's bipartisan budget agreement once again rejects the shortsighted priorities of the Trump administration for the real priorities of the American people. This agreement will build upon the 2018 bipartisan bu… Continue Reading
07.11.19
Leahy, Feinstein, Durbin: ICE Should Not Separate Families During Upcoming ICE Raids
(THURSDAY, July 11, 2019) - Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), joined by fellow Appropriators Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) - who also serve as the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, respectively - Thursday sent an urgent letter to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement requesting confirmation … Continue Reading
07.08.19
Udall, Leahy, Van Hollen Request GAO Investigation into Full Costs, Legal Compliance for Trump Fourth of July Event
to Members of the Appropriations Committee WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing the Department of Interior's budget, Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, requested a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into the costs and impacts associated with President Trump's expanded Fourth of July … Continue Reading
06.27.19
House Passes Bipartisan Senate Supplemental To Address Humanitarian Crisis At The Southern Border
WASHINGTON (Thursday, June 27, 2019) Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday welcomed the House passage of the $4.6 billion emergency supplemental appropriations bill to address the escalating humanitarian crisis on the southern border. The bill is a bipartisan compromise forged between Leahy and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), which passed the Senate earlier this week with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 84 to 8. The bill … Continue Reading