It’s about time that Volkswagen executives admitted to criminal wrongdoing and face the consequences for knowingly deceiving hundreds of thousands of American consumers, including some 3,000 Vermonters. They cheated on emissions rules that protect our environment and violated the trust placed in them by their customers. I am pleased to see the company and those responsible for the crimes finally being brought to justice.

Today, President-elect Donald J. Trump strongly endorsed an issue I have been pushing hard for in Congress – requiring the federal government to use its significant bulk purchasing power to cut the price of prescription drugs for seniors and taxpayers. Here is what he said at this morning’s press conference:

“We're the largest buyer of drugs in the world. And yet we don't bid properly. We're going to start bidding. We're going to save billions of dollars over a period of time.�

Music to my ears. It’s crazy that Medicare buys drugs at wholesale but pays retail prices. I’ve introduced a bill that would require price negotiations with Big Pharma. It will cut drug prices, save taxpayer dollars, and shore up the Medicare trust fund. I’m ready to get to work with President-elect Trump to pass this commonsense legislation.

During the winter months, VTrans plow crews work long hours keeping our roads clear so we can safely get where we need to go. Check out their new Winter Central web portal that will help us navigate Vermont’s winter road conditions. It includes a new Plow Finder feature showing the location of all 250 VTrans plow trucks in near real-time so you can track when the next one is coming and plan your trip accordingly. Thank you VTrans plow crews for your often exhausting and often dangerous work keeping the roads clear all winter long!

On January 20, Donald J. Trump will take the oath of office to become the 45th President of the United States. He will raise his right hand and swear to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ The American people should have every confidence that he will follow through on this solemn oath and act in the country’s best interest rather than his own. Senator Ben Cardin and I introduced a resolution demanding that he abide by the Constitution and sever business ties so that conflicts of interest are eliminated on Day 1. – Peter