News from Vermont

Meeting with Vermonters in Washington and Caledonia Counties

Last Friday, I visited senior centers, summer programs, health centers, recreation and transportation areas, and a farmers market in Plainfield and Hardwick. To the Vermonters I met with: the very best part of my job is sitting down with you, learning about your work, and hearing your thoughts about the future of our country. You are on the ground doing important work every single day to help our fellow Vermonters. Please know that your insights and experiences are extremely helpful as I lead negotiations in Washington for a strong federal budget that works for the working class. 

During my visits on Friday, Vermonters told me about what is going well and where change is needed. While we have a difficult road ahead to get a budget bill passed, I remain hopeful because, if we are successful, it will be the most consequential piece of legislation for working people since FDR and the New Deal of the 1930s.

Read on to learn more about what I’m fighting for in the budget bill, and to hear about one great example of successful federal investment: summer programs.

Vermont Summer Programs in 2021

Over the past month, I have visited seven Vermont summer programs across four counties, including last week’s stops at Twinfield Union School and Hardwick REACH. Summer programs are always important, but that is especially true after the difficult year we have just lived through. Students were isolated and struggled to keep up with schoolwork. Parents, caregivers, and families worried about their kids while also juggling lost jobs, financial pressures, and a frightening pandemic. Because of this, I knew it was absolutely critical that the federal government step in to help give our young people a good summer. I am proud to have secured a substantial increase in funding for summer and after school programing through the American Rescue Plan, which have been brilliantly brought to life through the diligent, quick work of Vermont Afterschool and the State of Vermont. With $71 million in federal funds, Vermont has been able to successfully create new and expanded, free or low-cost opportunities for our young people across the state, including employment opportunities for older students. As I go around the state and visit these summer programs, it is clear that the kids – and adults too – are having a great time. Simply, we’re accomplishing exactly what we set out to do.

During my time at Twinfield’s summer program, I spoke with students as they ate lunch and learned about the quality, nutritious breakfast and lunch these students receive twice each day. I visited a drama class where the students were improvising a play. I also was able to talk with students about the artwork they have been making throughout the summer. Seeing our young people participate in activities that otherwise would not be available, like the drama and art classes at Twinfield, gives me great hope that this major federal investment is truly helping our Vermont students. Importantly, it is also helping address the major barriers so many working Vermont families face during the summer months by providing our young people a safe, enriching, educational environment while parents and caregivers are at work. I look forward to visiting many more throughout the rest of the summer and in the coming years. See more local news coverage of my Twinfield visit here.

Vermont Health Centers: Providing Quality, Affordable Health Care to One-Third of Vermonters

In addition to visiting summer programs, I also had the chance to sit down with health care providers who work at two Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): The Health Center in Plainfield and Northern Counties Health Care in Hardwick. Vermont leads the nation in the percent of our population who benefits from the quality, affordable health care provided at FQHCs with a full one-third of all Vermonters getting primary, mental, or oral health care – along with low cost prescription drugs and substance use treatment at one of 66 health center sites statewide.

From Newport to Arlington, Burlington to Wells River and everywhere in between, Vermont FQHCs provide incredibly important health care services, while also being innovative, dedicated members of their communities. FQHCs keep people healthy, offer dental care that would otherwise be unavailable, and help people access local, nutritious food, all without ever turning someone away because of their ability to pay. FQHCs are also a great place to work for doctors, nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals and community members looking to make a difference in the lives of their friends and neighbors. I was so pleased to hear about the great work being done in Plainfield and Hardwick, and am proud to be fighting for increased funding for FQHCs in the budget bill, along with more training opportunities, scholarships, and loan repayment options for people who want to work in primary care. 

News from Washington D.C.

Budget Negotiations Continue:

The Biggest Win for the Working Class in Generations Is Within Reach

As Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, I am working on a $3.5 trillion piece of legislation that will be transformative for millions of people. It is no exaggeration to say that many individual provisions of this bill would alone be life changing for middle and lower income people of this country. In a time of massive income and wealth inequality, when nearly half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, what this bill does is finally begin to address the long-neglected needs of working people. It is my hope that, if passed, it will restore the American people’s faith in the federal government by proving that the government really does work for them, rather than the wealthy and powerful. Last week I sat down with Rep. Ro Khanna of California to discuss the details of the bill and wrote an op-ed about what I’m fighting for in this bill and why now is the time to get it done.

Reasserting the Constitutional Role of Congress in Matters of War and Peace

I believe that we have become far too comfortable with the United States engaging in military interventions all over the world. The time is long overdue for Congress to reassert its constitutional role in matters of war and peace. Article 1 of the Constitution clearly states that it is Congress, not the president, which has the power to declare war. The framers gave that power to Congress, the branch most accountable to the people, but over many years Congress has allowed its oversight authority to wane and executive power to expand. Last week, I introduced legislation to reassert that constitutional power, and I hope it will lead to a larger discussion, both in Congress and among the public, about the uses of military force in our foreign policy. Watch the press conference where we announced the introduction of the National Security Powers Act here.

Poverty Should Never Be a Death Sentence

Here, in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world — where we spend far more per capita on health care than people in other countries — the truth is that our life expectancy trails behind many other major wealthy nations. Tragically, life expectancy for many people in the United States is in decline. You may think that this decline is affecting us all equally, but that is just not the case. As it happens, the wealthy are doing just fine in terms of life expectancy. What we have seen over a number of years is that decline in life expectancy is significantly impacting lower income and working people, people with less education, and people living in rural areas. Last week, I held a hearing in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security to discuss this sobering issue. Watch the full hearing here and see local news coverage here.

What we heard and discussed at length throughout the hearing is the fact that poverty is literally a death sentence. A life of poverty often means a life of constant stress. It is living every single day wondering how you are going to feed your kids or how you are going to pay the rent. The psychological toll is extraordinary. And it can lead to what doctors call “deaths of despair”: drug overdoses, alcohol related-deaths, and even suicides. Just last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report that found deaths from drug overdoses surpassed 93,000 in 2020, a record-breaking jump of nearly 30% from the previous year. We simply cannot ignore this nationwide crisis.

We must not accept the reality that wealthy Americans live many, many more years than poor Americans. At the end of the day, we must fight to create a society in which all our people live long, healthy, happy, and productive lives.

Thank you again to all the Vermonters I met with last week at the Twin Valley Senior Center, Health Center at Plainfield, Twinfield Union School summer program, Hardwick REACH summer program, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, Hardwick Area Health Center, and the Hardwick Farmers Market. I look forward to many more visits in the coming months.

Let’s go forward together.