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Patrick Leahy is a former United States Senator from Vermont, serving from 1975 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the longest-serving senator in Vermont's history and held significant leadership roles, including President pro tempore of the Senate. Throughout his tenure, Leahy was known for his work on issues such as civil liberties, health care, and environmental protection. He played a key role in various legislative efforts, including the Violence Against Women Act and initiatives to reform the criminal justice system.
We must act. The United States must lead the international community in the fight to end such terrorist bombings. This is precisely what the Leahy-Hatch substitute does. We have been trying to pass this legislation for 6 months. We have…
I am always happy for the cooperation of the Senator from Pennsylvania, and I do compliment him on the two judges who will be confirmed today, recommended by him, and his efforts to get a consensus for them. I am well aware we can have…
I am proud to call Ted Kennedy a colleague, a friend, a mentor and a neighbor. Over the course of his career Ted Kennedy has championed the cause of those Americans living on the margins; those individuals in our society who for whatever…
Today I rise to describe two of Vermont's finest athletes representing all Americans at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. At least 21 of America's competitors can claim ties to Vermont. During the last two days, two of these…
We will have had far more courts of appeals judges than I think have ever been, or I can remember going through in a President's first year in office. We are going way beyond what the Senate usually does. It is certainly a much faster pace…
We worked several weeks. It really was night and day. We had people going home at 2 o'clock in the morning and coming back at 5 o'clock in the morning to do that. I was getting e-mails at home at 3:30 in the morning from members of my…
The Senator from Nevada is right. We actually had to move much of the Judiciary staff out of the Dirksen Building. Some had been in the Hart Building in the proximity of the distinguished leader's office when the anthrax letter was opened…
Both of the distinguished Senators from Kansas have returned blue slips indicating their support for this nominee. The nominee is extraordinarily well qualified. And with their support, I also support the nominee and urge the Senate to…
I do believe we should have hearings. I intend to have a meeting with the FBI Director this afternoon. I am also going to talk to the Attorney General on this and a number of other issues, including some about which the Senator has…
I wanted to highlight that the Fifth Circuit is one of those circuits where for the last 6 or 7 years there was a refusal to hold any hearings on the nominees. I think we are changing the way things have been done in the past. On this…
I fully agree with the gentleman. The legislation must address foreign drivers to cover adequately the security risks applicable to hazmat transportation.
Regulations need to be issued by the Secretary specifying time periods and making it clear that delays not due to the applicant should not force him to be out of work and that his existing hazmat license will remain in effect pending…
The Secretary will rely upon the background records check to be done by the Justice Department. Any further analysis to be done by the Secretary on this issue should be explained following a Congressional directive to do so, in regulations…
We improved security on the northern border, the 4,000-mile wonderful border between our country and Canada, another democratic nation. Many members of my wife's family came from Canada. We have always had historic and economic ties with…
I agree with the Senator. I am pleased that the Senate is recommending a considerably higher appropriation than the House for the GEF, and I intend to work diligently to persuade the House to agree to our GEF number in conference. We must…
I also thank the Senator from Pennsylvania, and agree with him on the importance of testing as an important part of the effort to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS. The bill under consideration includes $375 million for U.S. Agency for…
Senator McConnell and I have gone through this bill and we have tried to set priorities. We have put considerable amounts of money in this bill for counterdrug programs. The House has even more. In conference, as a practical matter, the…
I was not aware of that. I certainly hope it will not be the last. I hope this will happen often. I also know that the visiting Chaplain honors us, but I also hope he knows the Senate honors him. My wife's brother is a Catholic priest. One…
I consider it an honor that the desk that I sit in was once held by Senator Vandenberg, who coined the phrase that "politics ends at the water's edge." ... We should not allow it on this bill, especially today when our Nation is at war.
I agree with Senator Cantwell and I appreciate her efforts to suggest restraint at the Department of Justice to avoid misusing the new authorities we are contemplating using to address terrorism. I share her view that the GAO should…
The administration originally wanted administrative subpoena authority in foreign intelligence cases for government access to any business record. I was able to reach agreement with the administration to subject this authority to judicial…
I tell the distinguished Senator from Michigan and the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts, who made such strong and valid points on money laundering, we just received from the administration their statement of policy saying: This…
I think of the people who died in Pennsylvania in an airplane that was probably planning to strike the very building we are in--this symbol of democracy. Only with a great loss of life did it not happen. But there would be an enormous…
I get concerned when we have to rush things through without the kind of deliberation and scrutiny they deserve. The Senator from Pennsylvania has raised the obvious fact of making, for constitutional purposes, a record demonstrating…
Nobody is more protective of the rights of individuals than I, and considerably more than that, I feel very strongly in agreement with Benjamin Franklin's comment when he literally had his neck on the line when he said people who would…
Politicians like Patrick Leahy
