Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=ddaf721f-fb90-47d5-9cd3-42ce2eb16ccaBernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Nation Reels After School Massacre: A man killed his mother at home and then opened fire Friday inside a Connecticut elementary school where she taught, massacring 26 people, including 20 you...ng children, as youngsters cowered in their classrooms and trembled helplessly to the sound of gunfire reverberating through the building, The Associated Press reported. It was a “horror show,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said on The Thom Hartmann Program. As a grandfather of seven children, the senator added that “our thoughts and prayers are with the families.”See More
Gun Debate: In an emotional statement on the school shootings, President Obama signaled that a long-dormant debate on guns in America may be re-engaged, The New York Times reported. “We have been through this too many times. We’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics,” Obama said. He mentioned a recent attack in an Oregon shopping mall and shootings last July in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. WCAX-TV reported that Sen. Sanders issued a statement saying that “as a nation, we must do all that we can to figure out how tragedies like this do not continue to occur.” Sen. Chuck Schumer echoed Sanders’ sentiment. “Perhaps an awful tragedy like this will bring us together so we can do what it takes to prevent this horror from being repeated again."
Deficit Talks: Republicans have proposed making the formula used for cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security and other programs less generous. It's something known as a chained CPI, referring to the consumer price index. Sen. Sanders earlier this week rallied opponents of such reforms, National Public Radio reported Saturday. "People are very clear about what they want, and then you got folks here inside the Beltway who get huge amounts of campaign contributions from the wealthy and large corporations. They have a different perspective," he said, "but we have the people on our side."
Veterans’ Committee: As he takes over the chairmanship of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Sen. Sanders says his immediate concerns are to fight a proposal that would reduce benefits for veterans and their families and to expedite disability claims. The appointment marks his first full committee chairmanship since first being elected to that chamber in 2006, the Times Argus reported online.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=97a7065b-4b46-48b9-a9e4-70f610972e81- LikesSee All
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Bernie Sanders shared a link.
The Week in Review:
Flags on Capitol Hill, across Vermont and throughout America were lowered to half-staff on Friday after a mass murder at a Connecticut grade school. It was a “horror show,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said. As a grandfather of...seven children, he added, “our thoughts and prayers are with the families.” In Washington, congressional leaders and the White House continued negotiating a year-end deficit deal. Sanders held a news conference with seniors on Tuesday to oppose lower benefits for Medicare and Social Security. On Wednesday, when Sanders was tapped to chair the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, he said his first order of business would be to block a House Republican proposal to slash benefits for disabled veterans. Sanders has become what The New York Times called “a thorn in the side” to those who want more tax breaks for the rich and less help for working families.See More
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=2ED33634-52BF-4811-8212-6BA1AC918BD0- Today the people of Newtown, Conn., and all of America experienced a terrible tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and their loved ones. As a nation, we must do all that we can to figure out how tragedies like this do not continue to occur.
Bernie Sanders shared a link.
From 3-4pmET: Sen. Sanders will be taking questions on the Thom Hartmann program. Watch live here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
An Unvarnished Voice: Washington suffers from the problem “of people who have money not understanding what it’s like not to have money,” Sen. Bernard Sanders said. “Mr. Sanders intends to make...people understand,” a New York Times profile declared. “Sanders represents the majority of our caucus” when he fights cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Sen. Tom Harkin said in the article.See More
Sanders Confronts White House Aide: At a private lunch meeting on Thursday with members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, Sen. Sanders bluntly told White House economic adviser Gene Sperling to make sure that Social Security benefits aren’t cut and that Obama doesn’t raise the eligibility age for Medicare as part of any deficit-reduction deal. Sanders said such ideas would be a “disaster,” other senators told Politico afterward. Asked if Sperling alleviated his concerns, Sanders would only give a one-word response. “No,” he said.
Rice Withdraws, Kerry Seen as Next Secretary of State: U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, a close ally of President Obama, was a frontrunner to replace Hillary Clinton as Washington's top diplomat but withdrew from consideration on Thursday after a row over the administration's reaction to the Benghazi attacks. Sen. Sanders said Rice was treated unfairly. “The Republicans made the Benghazi tragedy and the loss of life into a very partisan political issue, and that's unfortunate,” he told Agence France Presse. Sources said Sen. John Kerry was virtually assured the State Department job.
Veterans’ Committee: Sen. Sanders was appointed to chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Wednesday by Majority Leader Harry Reid, Paul Heintz blogged for Seven Days. “It is a great honor to be named chairman of the committee, but is an even greater responsibility,” Sanders said.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=6E36A7B8-99B5-4128-91D5-B19E7905511C- In the Fiscal Debate, an Unvarnished Voice for Shielding Benefits - New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/us/politics/bernard-sanders-a-voice-for-shielding-entitlements.html?ref=us
Bernie Sanders shared a link.
From Vermont, a Gruff Voice for Shielding Entitlements
- Sheryl Stolberg, The New York Times:
When President Obama cut a deal with Congressional Republicans in December 2010 to extend tax cuts for the wealthy, Senator Bernard Sanders, the brusque Vermont independent who calls himself a socialist, decided it was time for a protest.
He had a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal in a Senate cafeteria, marched into the chamber and began talking. He talked for so long — railing ...for 8 hours 37 minutes about economic justice, the decline of the middle class and “reckless, uncontrollable” corporate greed — that his legs cramped. So many people watched online that the Senate video server crashed.See More
Today the issue of tax cuts for the wealthy is once again front and center in Washington, as part of the debate over how to reduce the federal deficit. And Mr. Sanders is once again talking, carving out a place for himself as the antithesis of the Tea Party and becoming a thorn in the side to some Democrats and Mr. Obama, who he fears will cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits as part of a deficit reduction deal.
A number of Congressional Democrats agree with Mr. Sanders that “no deal is better than a bad deal,” but he may be the most vocal.
Continue reading here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/us/politics/bernard-sanders-a-voice-for-shielding-entitlements.html?hp- Sign Sen. Sanders' petition to help stop the FCC from allowing for greater media monopolies: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=76f1a6c9-0caa-47ce-9171-6b62ccbbfd3a Watch Sen. Sanders discuss why big media shouldn't get bigger: http://vimeo.com/55073967
Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Veterans’ Committee: Sen. Bernie Sanders was chosen to lead the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Wednesday. The Vermont independent said his firs...t priority as chairman is to stop a proposal that would slash benefits for disabled veterans, The Associated Press reported. “We must do deficit reduction, but we don't do it by cutting programs to people who lost arms, legs and eyesight defending our country,” Sanders said on WCAX-TV.See More
Protecting Seniors: Sen. Sanders joined the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare to voice his opposition to cuts to the major retirement and health care programs for seniors, National Journal blogged. Coalition leader Max Richtman met with Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee members before delivering petitions signed by some 65,000 seniors to Sens. Sanders and Sherrod Brown.
A Champion: A coalition of liberal advocacy groups has declared Sen. Sanders a champion of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The groups running the effort, including MoveOn.org, CREDO and others, are urging supporters to pressure Democrats not to cave to Republican efforts to cut benefits during ongoing debt negotiations, Talking Points Memo and Fire Dog Lake reported.
Gas Prices: Sen. Sanders announced a new website to help consumers track gasoline prices in Vermont, where prices in the northwestern part of the state are 30 cents above the national average. Sanders also plans to work with Vermont state lawmakers to hold hearings and draft state legislation on gas prices, The Eagle and Green Mountain Outlook in Chittenden and Addison counties reported.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=F45BCAD5-9CA6-4330-B90B-25AA0566DE1CBernie Sanders shared a link.
Chairman Sanders:
Sen. Bernie Sanders was named chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the announcement as he listed committee assignments for the next session of Congress.
As the White...House and lawmakers are in the final stages of negotiating a year-end debt reduction deal, Sanders said his first order of business is to stop a proposal that would slash benefits for disabled veterans. “It is morally and economically unacceptable that anyone in Congress would propose balancing our budget by making significant cuts for disabled veterans,” Sanders said.See More
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=257A86AE-962F-404B-9461-22B600724EAFBernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Don’t Raise Medicare Age: Sen. Bernie Sanders will hold a news conference today on protecting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans’ benefits. Members of the National Committee to P...reserve Social Security and Medicare will take part, according to The Hill, Congressional Quarterly and The Associated Press Daybook.See More
A ‘Stupid Idea’: Raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67, as some Republicans propose, is a “horrendously stupid idea,” Sen. Sanders told The Huffington Post. He cited polls that show Americans overwhelmingly want deficit reduction without cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. “I know it’s a very radical idea that Congress listen to the American people rather than lobbyists or Wall Street, but that’s kind of what I think we might want to do,” Sanders said.
Media Monopolies: Sen. Sanders criticized an FCC proposal to relax media ownership regulations that would likely benefit major media companies and hurt local news coverage. The FCC announced last week that it would accept more comments on the proposal and has postponed a vote until at least January, The Hill blogged.
Irene: Two organizations in southern Vermont were awarded $470,000 to boost long-term recovery efforts following last year’s Tropical Storm Irene. Sen. Sanders and the congressional delegation say the money will speed the recovery of many communities still recovering from Irene, AP, the Bennington Banner and vermontbiz.com reported.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=492691DE-5AE0-46EE-B3B1-8746FACEA627Bernie Sanders shared a link.
VIDEO: Sen. Sanders talks with The Huffington Post about the ongoing budget negotiations: http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/senator-bernie-sanders-interview-on-fiscal-cliff/50c66acb02a7607aeb00002fBernie Sanders shared a link.
Sign Sen. Sanders' petition to help stop the FCC from allowing for greater media monopolies: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=76f1a6c9-0caa-47ce-9171-6b62ccbbfd3a Watch Sen. Sanders discuss why big media shouldn't get bigger: http://vimeo.com/55073967Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Medicare: Sen. Bernie Sanders said he’ll oppose any effort to raise the age when people become eligible for Medicare health coverage. Republicans in Congress have proposed raising the eligibi...lity age from 65 to 67. They also want to reduce cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security recipients, according to an Associated Press report published by the Times Argus, Rutland Herald, Brattleboro Reformer and Bennington Banner. “We are close to I think having a $4 trillion agreement, but we have got to be strong and say we will not balance the budget on the backs of some of the most vulnerable people in this country,” Sanders said on WPTZ-TV.See More
Social Security: Sen. Sanders invited advocates for the elderly and veterans to help him shine a light on the spending cuts he’s fighting as congressional Republicans and President Obama negotiate a deal to avoid the looming “fiscal cliff.” Sanders objects to a plan to change the formula used to calculate cost of living increases for Social Security and disabled veterans’ benefits. Adopting what is known as the chained CPI formula would result in Social Security income shrinking by $560 by the time retirees reach age 75 with continued reductions as they age, the Burlington Free Press reported.
Deficit Deal: The fiscal cliff talks are being conducted almost exclusively in backroom meetings between House Speaker John Boehner's office and White House advisers such as congressional liaison Rob Nabors. Not all members of Congress have been thrilled with how the White House has handled the high-stakes negotiations. “I speak for a number of members in the Senate who say, 'Hey, we want to be involved in this discussion,’ ” Sen. Sanders told The Washington Post.
Disabled Veterans: Sanders said disabled veterans would be affected by a change congressional Republicans want in the way inflation is calculated. "As a member of the veterans’ committee I will do everything I can to make sure we don't do deficit reduction on the backs of disabled veterans," he said on Vermont Public Radio.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=6B65B80C-6395-4719-B6E0-84428B10FC8FBernie Sanders shared a link.
Gas Prices:
Gas prices in northwestern Vermont are significantly more expensive than in the rest of the state and the country. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in northwestern Vermont on Monday was $3.65 – 31 cents mo...re a gallon than the national average, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Statewide, the average price this morning was $3.60 a gallon, or 26 cents a gallon more than the U.S. average. In one recent period from mid-September through October, northwestern Vermont was one of the 10 most lucrative markets to sell gas in the 13-state northeastern region of the United States, according to the Oil Price Information Service, one of the leading national organizations that track fuel prices. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday announced a new webpage to help Vermont consumers track gasoline prices.See More
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=4411C1B2-5F50-42C2-A238-7B087CE829F9
See Sen. Sanders' gas price website here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/consumers/Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Social Security: A flintier way to measure consumer price inflation that would cut future benefits for retirees and disabled veterans “is a very devious and underhanded way to continue the cla...ss warfare being waged against the middle class and working families,” Sen. Bernie Sanders told The Wall Street Journal. Congressional Republicans want a so-called chained CPI to reduce Social Security and other benefits as part of a deal to avert spending cuts and tax increases set to begin in January.See More
Gas Prices: Sen. Sanders plans to discuss high gas prices in parts of Vermont while meeting with the press at his Burlington office on Monday morning. He also will address looming tax increases and spending cuts that are scheduled to be implemented on New Year's Day unless Congress acts, The Associated Press and Vermont Public Radio reported.
State of the Union: Sen. Sanders is hosting his third State of the Union essay contest for the state’s high school students. Sanders said the contest is meant to engage students on the major issues facing the country, according to an AP report in the Times Argus and WCAX-TV.
Holiday Party: The Burlington Parks and Recreation Holiday Party was held on Sunday. The tradition began in Sanders’ first year as mayor. Businessman Tony Pomerleau did not support Sanders’ election, but the two met afterward at City Hall on ways they could work together. Sanders said the party was one idea sparked by the meeting. Sanders noted while some millionaires across the United States continue to build their wealth, Pomerleau is a rare breed that actually gives some of his extra cash back to the community, the Burlington Free Press reported.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=4C5030C9-B3E6-4815-BB08-0A9A4DF14475Bernie Sanders shared a link.
On Dec. 10, 2010, Sen. Bernie Sanders stood on the floor of the Senate for 8.5 hours making his case against the budget plan agreed to by The White House and Speaker John Boehner.
You can watch the entire speech here: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/297021-5
You can also read the speech here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=aa0f5904-c400-415e-aaff-86ca62fa2b3bBernie Sanders shared a link.
Sen. Sanders speaks out on filibuster reform: http://youtu.be/SnOhDhgPyUkBernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Filibuster: Reform Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed Republican obstructionism in the Senate as “undemocratic” and urged filibuster reform, The Hill blogged.
Gay Marriage: The Supreme Court will ...review a law that denies federal rights and benefits to same-sex couples. The court also will review a ruling that struck down California's gay marriage ban. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Sanders as well as Rep. Peter Welch say Vermont has led the way when it comes to same sex rights and they want to see the Defense of Marriage Act overturned, WCAX-TV reported on Saturday.See More
Unemployment: Sen. Charles Schumer was accompanied by Sen. Bernard Sanders during a Capitol Hill news conference on the possibility of 2 million people losing their unemployment benefits four days after Christmas, The Associated Press reported.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=8de1b939-687b-45b8-8c17-0c57f19a4eb9Bernie Sanders shared a link.
VIDEO: Sen. Sanders talks with Bill Moyers about why big media shouldn’t get bigger: http://vimeo.com/55073967Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Justices to Rule on Gay Marriage: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case that could establish or reject a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. Justices also will review a fed...eral law that makes the federal government deny benefits to gay couples wed in Vermont and other states where gay marriage is legal. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch say they'd like to see the court scrap the Defense of Marriage Act. They also said they're proud Vermont has been a leader on gay marriage and they want the same for other Americans, The Associated Press reported.See More
Vermont a Leader on Gay Marriage: “Our state was the first in the nation to allow gay marriage without a court order, but gay Americans everywhere deserve to have their rights protected,” Sanders said on Fox 44 and ABC 22 and in the Burlington Free Press.
Big Media: In 1983, 50 corporations controlled a majority of American media. Now that number is six. And Big Media may get even bigger, thanks to the Federal Communications Commission’s consideration of ending a rule preventing companies from owning a newspaper and radio and TV stations in the same big city. On this week’s Moyers & Company, Sen. Sanders discussed why Big Media is a threat to democracy and what citizens can do to fight back. LINK, VIDEO
Media Monopolies: Sen. Sanders is fighting proposed changes in media ownership regulations that he says will reduce competition in the news business and limit access to unbiased information, The Associated Press, Bennington Banner, Times Argus and Seven Days reported. “When you have a smaller and smaller number of large media conglomerates owning and controlling what the American people can see, hear and read, you have a real threat to the kind of democracy that many of us want this country to be,” Sanders said at a Capitol news conference broadcast on WCAX-TV.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=7910db22-f485-4ff6-8dda-63b070f4a1e8- Coming up at 8pmET: Sen. Sanders will be on MSNBC talking with Ed Schultz about the so-called fiscal cliff.
Bernie Sanders shared a link.
The Week in Review:
The White House and congressional negotiators stepped up efforts to reach an agreement on a deficit reduction deal. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday went to The National Press Club to detail his approach. Unemployment ...in November dipped to 7.7 percent, the Labor Department announced on Friday. Sanders and others on Thursday called for an extension of long-term unemployment benefits. There was yet more scientific evidence that the planet is dangerously warming, but no evidence of real progress at U.N. climate talks in Doha. The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review California's ban on same-sex marriage and to decide whether Congress can deprive legally married gay couples the same benefits available to other married people. Sanders in 1996 was in a small House minority that voted against the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. Also in Washington, the Federal Communications Commission resurrected a plan to let more big conglomerates control more broadcast and print media outlets. Sanders on Monday sat down with Bill Moyers for a discussion about the consequences. The interview airs this weekend.See More
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=2B0ADF22-F407-44FF-8C91-E2C432013E1F- Sen. Sanders talks with The New York Times about the ongoing budget negotiations: http://www.nytimes.com/video/2012/12/06/us/politics/100000001942890/timescast-politics-dec-6-2012.html
Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Deficit Deal: “The American people do not want to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and they do think that … the wealthiest people in this country are going to have to start paying t...heir fair share,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said in a video interview with The New York Times. Sanders proposed reducing the deficit by making Medicare and Medicaid more efficient, changes that would not reduce benefits; by making cuts to defense; and by cracking down on fraud perpetrated against the government by large pharmaceutical companies and defense contractors.See More
Obama and Boehner: At House Speaker John Boehner's request, Senate leaders and Rep. Nancy Pelosi have been excluded from talks to avert a fiscal crisis. Sen. Sanders told The New York Times on Thursday that Senate Democrats needed to find a way to make themselves more relevant to the search for a resolution to the fiscal standoff.
Jobless: The unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent in November one day after Senate democrats held a news conference to call for an extension of emergency unemployment insurance programs through next year as part of any year-end deficit deal. “Sometimes, maybe especially here inside the Beltway, we forget that this terrible recession continues in many parts of the country,” Sen. Sanders said. “Real unemployment – counting those people who have given up looking for work and those people who are working 20 hours and they want to be working 40 hours – is closer to 15 percent,”, NBC New reported online.
‘Fiscal Cliff’: President Obama “is offering little incentive for the Republicans to compromise,” according to The Economist. The British news magazine said the president will not even discuss Social Security on the ground that it is not a big contributor to the deficit. As for Medicare, the president is willing to make relatively modest savings by passing more of the cost to drug companies (by haggling for lower prices). Such tough talk delights the left. Obama's stance, says the AFL-CIO, "keeps faith with the voters, and Sen. Sanders has commended the president for his refusal to touch Social Security.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=30465C62-4B39-49D4-A029-A01BD8FF1B89Bernie Sanders shared a link.
VIDEO: Sen. Sanders talks with The New York Times about the ongoing budget negotiations: http://nyti.ms/YSwiy1Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Media Monopolies
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference why he is fighting a proposed Federal Communications Commission rule change which would allow media conglomerates to dominate broadcast and p...rint media. “We’re going to do everything we can to prevent it from happening,” Sanders told Bill Moyers in an interview that will air this weekend on Moyers & Company. “We cannot live in a vibrant democracy unless people get divergent sources of information and have the opportunity to have serious debate about the major issues of the day,” Sanders said at the news conference.See More
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=E1247B9D-8968-4282-B880-569CF64032A8
Watch Bernie's press conference here: http://youtu.be/t-SztlLxgAEBernie Sanders shared a link.
VIDEO: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Maria Cantwell stand up to fight against media monopolies: http://youtu.be/t-SztlLxgAEBernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Deficit Reduction: At a news conference at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed allowing the high-income Bush tax cuts to expire, eliminating corporate tax loopho...les, ending tax breaks and subsidies for oil companies, cutting Pentagon spending and allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for lower-price prescription medicine, ABC News blogged. He also said it was “obscene and extraordinarily arrogant” for Wall Street CEOs to seek cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, MarketWatch reported. “It’s time to listen to people like Sanders more and to everyone else a little less,” Imara Jones wrote for New America Media.See More
Don’t Cut Veterans’ Benefits: Sen. Sanders is furious over a proposal by Republican House Speaker John Boehner to slash benefits for disabled veterans. Boehner called for a new method to calculate inflation that would reduce annual cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security recipients and disabled veterans. Sanders says deficits must be reined in, but not by taking benefits away from more than 3-million disabled veterans, Fox 44 and WVNY-TV reported.
Medicare: Sen. Sanders defended his view that there should be no increase in the eligibility age for Medicare, Seven Days reported. “There are working people out there who have worked 30, 40, 50 years. They’re in construction. They’re waiters. They’re waitresses. These are people who have worked their entire lives. They are exhausted, and they should not be asked to continue working to 67 before they get their health care,” he told CNN.
Media Monopolies: The Federal Communications Commission is reviving a proposal to end a rule preventing companies from owning a newspaper and radio and TV stations in the same city. “We’re gonna do everything we can to prevent it from happening,” Sen. Sanders told Bill Moyers in an interview for this weekend’s Moyers & Company. Congress tasked the FCC “to promote localism and diversity in America's broadcast system,” Sanders wrote a letter to the FCC chairman, Moyers wrote for Huffington Post and Salon. Sanders and other senators said rules against media cross ownership “remain a bulwark against mass consolidation and stand to preserve local voices."
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=8FD3E869-04BA-42DA-BCEA-23BDE05335C2Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Sanders: Don’t Cut Disabled Veterans’ Benefits
In an address on Wednesday at the National Press Club, Sen. Bernie Sanders said a proposal floated by congressional Republicans would slash benefits for disabled veterans. A member of the Senate Budget Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Sanders said deficits must be reined in, but not by taking benefits away from more than 3 million disabled veterans, many of them injured fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Watch the press conference here: http://youtu.be/Bx-j_s3-Zjs
Read more here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=32C41977-B05C-439E-823F-EC6F1C61B51C
Listen to Sen. Sanders on the Ed Schultz show here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/media/listen/?m=b795e3ca-6368-4b04-9902-f714e3be9c33Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Happening now: Sen. Sanders is on the radio talking with Ed Schultz about the budget negotiations. Listen live here: http://www.wegoted.com/listen/ed-audioA.aspBernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Budget Fairness: Sen. Bernie Sanders will speak today at the National Press Club on the need to shield Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from cuts in a “fiscal cliff” deal, according to T...he Hill and The Associated Press Daybook.See More
Deficit Reduction: “If we’re serious about doing deficit reduction in this country in a way that is fair, then we have got to ask the wealthy to pay more. We’ve got to end all of those corporate loopholes and I think we’ve got to take a hard look at defense spending which has tripled since 1997,” Sen. Sanders told Revolution Radio host Jeff Santos. “The bottom line, Jeff, is that we can do deficit reduction without cutting Social Security, which hasn’t contributed a penny to the deficit, without cutting Medicare benefits, without cutting Medicaid benefits, and without cutting other important programs.”
The Nation Institute: “We will not accept cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid,” Sen. Sanders declared Monday night at The Nation Institute dinner where the independent senator from Vermont was cheered for his absolute defense of programs that he argues must not be sacrificed to the austerity demands of those who would toss working American off the “fiscal cliff.” That Sanders is a hero to progressives, like those who gathered Monday night in New York for the annual event, is no secret, John Nichols blogged for The Nation.
Senate Approves $631 Billion for Defense: The Senate voted 98 to 0 on Tuesday to approve a $631 billion defense bill that calls for accelerating the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and tightens sanctions on Iran. The legislation would authorize money for weapons, aircraft and ships and would provide a 1.7 percent pay raise for military personnel. The Obama administration has threatened to veto the measure, saying it places limits on the president’s authority to handle terrorism suspects.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=5296F64B-1A8E-428F-8AFB-7FEB0FC15A02Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Stop Media Consolidation:
A group of key senators is urging the Federal Communications Commission to keep rules in place against media conglomerates owning television stations, radio stations and newspapers in the same major broadcast mark...et. Sen. Bernie Sanders has voiced concern that increased concentration of news outlets limits the public’s access to unbiased information about important issues. The commission may vote soon to waive its own rule against cross-ownership in the nation’s top-20 markets.See More
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=FD70BD47-9D53-4C2F-9FF4-331ECBAF00D0Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
GOP Budget Plan: Sen. Sanders appeared on MSNBC's Politics Nation to talk with Rev. Al Sharpton about the ongoing budget negotiations. "I think when the people understand that they (the Republ...icans) want to maintain tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, whose effective tax rate is very, very low and at the same time they want to balance the budget by cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, I think people all over this country are going to say, you guys are nuts, you're really out of touch with what ordinary Americans are thinking and believing," said Sanders.See More
‘Fiscal Cliff’: A number of lawmakers, as well as prominent investors like Warren Buffett, are arguing that, counter to all the doomsday predictions, the U.S. economy would not go off the rails if Congress failed to avoid the automatic spending cuts and tax increases that are now set to be triggered in January. “It’s not like something cataclysmic happens on Dec. 31,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said, The Christian Science Monitor reported.
Unemployment Insurance: A majority of Senate Democrats are backing a yearlong extension of federal unemployment benefits that are set to expire at the end of the year. Sen. Sanders has joined Democrats in support of extending benefits, signing a letter supporting the measure. More than 2 million would lose their unemployment on Dec. 30 without congressional action, The Hill blogged.
Online Privacy: The Senate Judiciary Committee will debate a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Sanders Thursday that would require companies like Apple and Google to get a customer’s consent before collecting or sharing mobile location data, The Hill blogged.
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VIDEO: Sanders Reacts to the GOP Budget Plan: http://youtu.be/dTvfj_unEFw- You can read Bernie's progressive deficit reduction plan here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=a20566d5-8292-4fc6-ac0a-f10d4bbc7edb
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Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Social Security: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner echoed a White House message during a string of Sunday show interviews: no Social Security talks as part of the fiscal cliff negotiations. ...“We're prepared to, in a separate process, look at how to strengthen Social Security,” Geithner said on ABC's This Week. “But not as part of a process to reduce the other deficits the country faces.” Sen. Bernie Sanders applauded the White House stance. He said more than 55 million Americans who've earned those benefits will get to keep them. Sanders said Social Security has not contributed to the nation's debt and therefore should not be cut, ABC 22, Fox 44 and vtdigger.org reported.See More
Media Ownership: Nine senators urged FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski not to relax the commission's media cross-ownership rules. The commission is planning a vote to allow waivers of a ban on cross-ownership among daily newspapers and TV stations in top-20 markets. Sen. Sanders and others said the commission should avoid such a decision, which they said has the potential to harm minority communities who would suffer from further media consolidation. TV and radio ownership by women and minorities "remains at abysmally low levels," the senators added.
Global Warming: A scientific study published on Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change concluded that the world’s rapid increase in fossil fuel emissions now makes a global average temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius all but inevitable. That comes on top of a recent stack of high-profile scientific and economic reports reaching similarly sobering conclusions. Two degrees is the point at which scientists say the polar ice sheets will melt and vast swathes of land will no longer be arable.
Pushing G.O.P. to Negotiate, Obama Ends Giving In: Amid demands from Republicans that President Obama propose detailed new spending cuts to avert the year-end fiscal crisis, his answer boils down to this: you first. Mr. Obama, scarred by failed negotiations in his first term and emboldened by a clear if close election to a second, has emerged as a different kind of negotiator in the past week or two, sticking to the liberal line and frustrating Republicans on the other side of the bargaining table, according to The New York Times.
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Must Read: With Carbon Dioxide Emissions at Record High, Worries on How to Slow Warming - Justin Gillis & John Broder, The New York Times: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=a51ad28f-6b79-48fd-8a8d-ceaf581e08c3Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Geithner: Social Security Off Table for Now: With just a few weeks remaining before the crucial "fiscal cliff" deadline, the White House's chief negotiator, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, sa...id today that Social Security was off the table, National Journal reported. "We're prepared to, in a separate process, look at how to strengthen Social Security," he said on ABC's This Week. "But not as part of a process to reduce the other deficits the country faces."See More
Farm Bill: The Vermont congressional delegation is pushing for a last-minute deal to pass a farm bill that protects dairy farmers from plunging milk prices, but they are running out of time. "We're going to do everything we can, but nobody can predict whether we'll succeed or not," Sen. Bernie Sanders told the Burlington Free Press. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said on Friday that he still does not believe there are enough votes to pass a new five-year farm bill before Congress adjourns. The Senate passed its own bipartisan version of the bill in June.
Budget Talks: Sen. Sanders "has been especially strong in defense of Social Security and the need to defend programs that middle- and lower-class people depend on. [Rep. Peter] Welch has shown himself to be an effective practical legislator, so if a reasonable compromise emerges, he may serve a role in bringing along reluctant Democrats," the Times Argus and Rutland Herald said in an editorial.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=733d8426-2404-44ee-9ff3-67c22fe8a4ca- Sanders Says Simpson-Bowles Must Not Shape Deficit Debate: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=520443b7-b0ef-458c-9d34-6a41aa8b36cf
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Must Read: Climate Change Is Happening Now – A Carbon Price Must Follow - James Hansen, Common Dreams: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=2c1dac24-086f-4a3f-9a25-507c1a1d46bfBernie Sanders shared a link.
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Sanders on Taxes: President Obama warned Friday of a "Scrooge" Christmas if Congress does not pass legislation extending tax cuts for most Americans. Sen. Bernie Sanders told radio host Thom H...artmann on Friday that the House should vote on a Senate-passed bill that would extend tax cuts for 98 percent of American workers. “What we are saying is just pass what the Senate passed,” Sanders said. “My hope is that the Republicans catch on to what the American people want and help us come forward with a fair deficit-reduction package.”See More
The Face of Class Warfare: Sen. Sanders derided Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, along with other Wall Street leaders, for pushing for cuts to entitlement programs as a part of the nation’s budget negotiations, according to a CNN article published Saturday in The Keene (N.H.) Sentinel. “I do have a problem with wealthy CEOs from Wall Street who caused the recession now coming to Washington and saying, if you’re old, if you’re sick, or if you’re poor, we’re going to cut your benefits. “I frankly think that’s obscene. We don’t need advice from the people who caused this recession through their greed and illegal behavior.”
Their Fair Share: “The American people are very clear that at a time when the middle class is disappearing and the people on top are doing phenomenally well -- as Warren Buffett reminds us, their effective tax rate is quite low -- you know what the American people have said? The wealthy are going to have to start paying their fair share of taxes,” Sen. Sanders was recorded as saying in the transcript of an interview with Wolf Blitzer published by Real Clear Politics.
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Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Happening now: Sen. Sanders is on the Thom Hartmann program. Watch live here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/ or call: 866-745-2667Bernie Sanders shared a link.
Pentagon Fraud
The Senate on Friday agreed to make the Pentagon compile annual reports on contracting fraud. The provision by Sen. Bernie Sanders was added to a Department of Defense authorization bill. Another Sanders amendment added to t...he bill today would make public a list of senior military officials who leave the government and land on the payrolls of defense contractors. “This country has a $16 trillion national debt. It is unacceptable that the Department of Defense continues to lose vast sums of taxpayer money because of fraud perpetrated by major defense contractors. This has got to stop,” Sanders said.See More
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Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Obama’s Budget Overture: President Obama made an opening bid in budget talks with Republicans that calls for a $1.6 trillion tax increase, $50 billion in infrastructure spending in 2013 and ne...w power to raise the federal debt limit. Republicans called it a step backward in efforts to avoid looming tax increases and spending cuts. “When Republicans talk about being flexible, we have not heard one definitive word as to what they mean,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said Thursday on CNN. “Our Republican friends have got to understand that this issue of the fiscal cliff was debated during the election … You know what the American people said? The wealthy are going to have to start paying their fair share of taxes.”See More
Sanders on Taxes: Democrats and some Republicans are pushing for the House to immediately pass a Senate bill that would keep taxes from rising on middle class Americans in January. "The wealthy are going to have to start paying their fair share of taxes ... More and more Republicans are catching on to that fact and that's why the Republicans have got to do exactly what we did in the Senate, which is say we're going to protect the bottom 98 percent of the American people,” Sanders said in reports on KFSN-TV in Fresno, Calif., KIFI-TV in Idaho Falls, Idaho, News Channel 8 in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere.
Sanders Seeks Assurances on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid: The deficit-reduction talks are the latest illustration that the real legislating in this Congress occurs only at the leadership level. Sen. Sanders, who opposes entitlement cuts, said that leadership should not give the rank and file “a fait accompli.” Sanders told National Journal he has sought assurances, so far without success, from the White House on entitlements.
Social Security: Sen. Sanders is a champion of the “Social Security Protector’s Pledge,” signed by 110 representatives and 11 senators, an effort criticized by David Walker in a column for Reuters. Walker’s Comeback America Initiative is heavily funded by Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson’s Peter G. Peterson foundation. Walker said “a refusal to consider cuts to social insurance programs” is “irresponsible.”
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VIDEO: Sen. Sanders on CNN talking about the ongoing budget negotiations: http://youtu.be/MQFupMN9VgM- Coming up at 6:15pmET: Sen. Sanders will be on CNN's Situation Room talking with Wolf Blitzer about the budget and so-called fiscal cliff.
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The Face of Class Warfare:
Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein came to Capitol Hill this week to call for cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. As Congress and the White House are negotiating a year-end deficit deal, Blankfein soug...ht to “lower people’s expectations” about their retirement and health care. He spoke with all the sympathy for someone struggling to get by on $14,000-a-year retirement that you’d expect from a Wall Street banker paid $16 million last year. “Think about the arrogance of these guys on Wall Street who were bailed out by the middle class of this country when their greed and recklessness nearly destroyed the financial system and now they come to Capitol Hill to lecture Congress and the American people about the need to cut programs for working families,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said in a Senate floor speech.See More
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Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Budget Talks: Some Democrats are joining Sen. Bernie Sanders in fighting proposed cuts to important safety-net programs. While more and more Democrats are vowing to keep Social Security off of...the negotiating table as the so-called “fiscal cliff” approaches, Sanders has pledged to protect Medicare and Medicaid as well. He sent an email blast to supporters saying just that on Wednesday afternoon, David Goodfriend reported for MSNBC.See More
Sanders and Dean: A group founded by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is joining forces with Sen. Sanders in calling for people to sign a petition against cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They're also urging Senate Democrats to reject any deal that extends the Bush-era tax cuts for households earning more than $250,000. DFA says it hopes to collect 50,000 signatures on a petition to present to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, The Associated Press, WPTZ-TV and WCAX-TV reported.
Do Not Cut Social Security: House and Senate Democrats remain divided over changes to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. During a rally earlier this month, Democratic lawmakers vowed to oppose any cuts in benefits, Congressional Quarterly reported. “We are here today to send a very loud and very clear message to the leadership” in Congress and the White House, said Sen. Sanders. “Do not cut Social Security, do not cut Medicare, do not cut Medicaid and do not provide more tax breaks to the top 2 percent, who are doing phenomenally well and, in many cases, have never had it so good.”
Gas Prices: Sen. Sanders blames high gas prices in the Burlington area on greedy fuel dealers. Sanders says he's soon going to call the major dealers to get answers, ABC-22 and FOX 44 reported. The Federal Trade Commission has declined to investigate why gas in northwestern Vermont is typically 15 to 20 cents more per gallon than in other parts of the state, WCAX-TV, reported.
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It is beyond comprehension - Wall Street got bailed out by the American public after causing the recession and now tells Congress to cut programs for working people so that the wealthy can keep the Bush tax cuts. http://youtu.be/riKEBVd26WoBernie Sanders shared a link.
Lloyd Blankfein is the Face of Class Warfare: http://youtu.be/riKEBVd26Wo Sanders Says Simpson-Bowles Must Not Shape Deficit Debate: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=520443b7-b0ef-458c-9d34-6a41aa8b36cfBernie Sanders shared a link.
Working Families vs. Millionaires:
With Congress and the White House in the midst of deficit negotiations, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday called on colleagues to reject proposals by former Sen. Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles that would ...hurt working families and help the wealthiest Americans and profitable corporations. The Simpson-Bowles plan “will cause major economic pain to virtually every American while lowering tax rates for millionaires, billionaires and large corporations,” said Sanders, a member of the Senate Budget Committee.See More
Sanders sent a letter to Senate colleagues on the same day when Bowles and other business leaders were meeting with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). One of the business leaders set to accompany Bowles was Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who recently called for cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. “Just think about the arrogance of these guys on Wall Street who were bailed out by the middle class of this country when their greed and recklessness nearly destroyed the international financial system and now they come to Capitol Hill to lecture Congress and the American people about the need to cut programs for working families who are struggling because of the recession they caused,” Sanders commented.
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Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Social Security: Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday welcomed “a good step forward” by the White House on Social Security. Sanders’ comment in an interview on The Ed Schultz Radio Show came after P...resident Obama’s spokesman said any changes to the retirement and disability program should be done separately from any plan to reduce the deficit. “This is a step in the right direction for more than 55 million Americans who have earned Social Security benefits today and every working American who will receive Social Security benefits in the future,” Sanders said on MSNBC. The White House statement is the same position taken by Sanders and 28 Democratic senators in a letter in September, The Associated Press reported.See More
Budget Negotiations: Between 2010 and 2011, over $1 trillion was cut from programs that help low-income people and the middle class while the wealthy kept their same low tax rates. “The Republicans have been very clear in saying that their job is to represent the largest corporations and the wealthiest people, and up until this point they have succeeded,” Sen. Sanders told Thomas Roberts on MSNBC.
Gas Prices Sen. Sanders called on gasoline distributors in northwestern Vermont to stop charging customers higher prices than are being charged in other parts of the state. Sanders planned to call the top executives of the three largest gasoline distributors in the region this week to make the request. He said there's no reason customers in northwestern Vermont should be paying about 25 cents a gallon more than are customers in other parts of the state, the Burlington Free Press, The Associated Press, WCAX-TV and Vermont Public Radio reported.
VA Clinic: Plans to build a new $2.6 million outpatient clinic for veterans in Burlington, are moving forward. Sen. Sanders said Monday that the Department of Veterans Affairs has picked a contractor — Fortieth Burlington LLC — to build the facility, which will replace a clinic in Colchester that has outgrown its space, the Rutland Herald and Times Argus reported.
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