Patrick Leahy

I appreciate having the Secretary here. I should note for the record, the Secretary and I have known each other for years.

I know that the University of Vermont, their Center of Rural Addiction helps rural counties, and the budget includes a request increase of $55 million for rural communities' opioid response programs.

I was glad to see a large increase in funding to support research and prevention treatment.

Telehealth is very needed, but then you have the problem that many of us find in rural areas, broadband connectivity and all these others.

COVID-19 has shown that a commitment to breakthrough innovation, directed allocation of resources, and collaborative approaches can accelerate how scientific breakthroughs can be transitioned to treatments and cures.

I strongly support the Administration's renewed approach to innovation in medical research through the establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

While budget restraints have undoubtedly forced the IRS to make difficult choices in recent years, reductions to taxpayer services are disproportionately impacting rural communities.

I am hopeful that the IRS will be investing more in taxpayer services that can help increase compliance with the tax code.

For each of the previous three fiscal years, I have supported additional funding through the appropriations process for a National Guard preventative mental health program executed by the Office of Warrior Resiliency and Fitness.

By supporting states' investments in culvert replacement, we can ensure that our infrastructure and waterways can withstand increased rainfall and streamflow while reducing significant hardship and rebuilding expenses in the event of a…

We cannot strike a match near gas and then act surprised when it catches fire.

I believe it is critical for us to confront domestic violent extremism in all forms.

Over the last 4 years, extremists who were once relegated to the fringes of our society, uniformly condemned by our Nation's leaders, both parties, suddenly felt they had support at the highest level of the United States Government.

So let us come together, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans to confront this threat to our society.

If we secure our Nation at the expense of our precious liberties, then we could hardly claim victory at all.

The violence on January 6th was simply the latest chapter in this long history of domestic extremism in America.

We have to confront this threat to the American way.

The January 6th images--all of us remember that--of insurrectionists flying Confederate flags as they stormed the U.S. Capitol are stark reminders that domestic violence extremism in America is hardly a new threat.

There is a marked difference, I want us to have the freedom, I want the security, but I want the freedom.

I believe in a Capitol as open as we can, safely. We are the symbol of democracy.

The failures we saw in January 6 were the results of a failure of leadership.

I really feel strongly we have got to have an overall assessment of what we need, what went right, what went wrong, in case we have something like this again.

I never thought I would see anything as horrific as we saw in January.

The American Jobs Plan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for every part of our country.

The questions that have been asked have been excellent. I want to thank everybody, the Senators who came but especially the witnesses.