Opinion

FORT BELVOIR, Va., Aug. 7 – U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after President Barack Obama signed legislation to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs:

“In a dysfunctional Congress, I’m glad we accomplished something significant for veterans. This legislation will go a long way toward ending unacceptably long waiting times for veterans to access health care and allow the VA the resources to hire the doctors, nurses and other medical staff it needs to address these problems over the long term.”

“Health and Aging: a Federal Policy Update”

The August “Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast” is planned for Friday, August 15,  2014 at the Gibson Aiken Center, downstairs, hosted by Senior Meals. Doors open at 7:30am.

This month we plan to hear from Sophie Kasimow Office. She is the HELP Committee Staff Director, that is Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which includes the Subcommittee on Primary Health & Aging. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is Chairman of this subcommittee.  

WASHINGTON, July 31 – The Senate tonight approved and sent to President Barack Obama a bill to improve access to health care for veterans and reform the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Crafted by the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairmen – Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) – the $16.3 billion bill passed the Senate by a vote of 91-3. The House of Representatives voted 420-5 on Wednesday to approve the same measure.

WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, July 29, 2014) — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would restore Americans’ privacy rights by ending the government’s dragnet collection of phone records and requiring greater oversight, transparency, and accountability with respect to domestic surveillance authorities.

The updated version of the USA FREEDOM Act released today builds on legislation passed in the House in May, as well as the original legislation Leahy introduced with Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) last October. The legislation bans bulk collection under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and other surveillance authorities, requires the government to narrow the scope of a search to a clearly defined “specific selection term,” adds needed transparency and reporting requirements, and provides key reforms to the FISA Court. In an editorial on Monday, the New York Times wrote “the bill represents a breakthrough in the struggle against the growth of government surveillance power.”

Dean Corren for Lt. Governor is seeking campaign interns. Turn your free time into a valuable and exciting experience or connect with your school to receive credit for your work. We are looking for individuals to help with:

• Volunteer Managment
• Lawnsign Distribution
• Issue Research
  

PHILADELPHIA, July 25 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today addressed the annual convention of the National Association of Letter Carriers and drew standing ovations for opposing cuts in sevices and jobs at the U.S. Postal Service at a time of rising revenue.

Sanders is the chief sponsor of legislation to modernize the U.S. Postal Service, save Saturday mail and prevent other unnecessary cuts in services provided by one of the most popular and important institutions in America.

WASHINGTON, July 24 – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today detailed compromise legislation that he offered to House negotiators that would reform the VA and give it the tools to provide quality, timely health care to veterans.

The proposal () would address the need for short-term, emergency access to care while strengthening VA’s capacity to address veterans’ needs in the long term. It also includes a provision to allow for the removal of incompetent officials at the VA.

The Windham County Democratic Committee is organizing meetings for the public to meet and hear the four Democratic candidates for State Senate.

The first forum will be held tomorrow, July 24, 2014, at 6:30 PM, at the Townshend Town Hall.

WASHINGTON, July 17 – In joint remarks before the U.S. Senate today, Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) honored former Vermont Gov. Phil Hoff, who just turned 90 years old.

Hoff served three terms as governor. First elected in 1962, he was the first Democrat to hold the state’s highest office in more than a century.

“We rise today to celebrate Philip Hoff, the 73rd governor of the state of Vermont, for his extraordinary contributions to the state of Vermont, and to our nation,” Leahy and Sanders said in a joint statement submitted for the Congressional Record.

I hadn’t heard of this before today:

In 2008, Vermont senator Patrick Leahy was traveling in a car 125 miles south of the U.S.-Canada border in the state of New York.

They came to a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint, which stopped the U.S. senior senator, and an agent ordered him to get out of the car.