Ranking Member Press
Report: If Not for Republican Policies, the Federal Government Would Be Running a Surplus
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 - Following an announcement Monday from the Treasury that the federal government ran a deficit of $779 billion in Fiscal Year 2018, the Democratic staff on the Senate Budget Committee released a report showing that the federal government would be running a surplus today if not for four Republican policies. Without the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the enormous post-9/11 defense buildup and two rounds of costly, regressive tax cuts, the federal government would be running a $… Continue Reading
02.15.18
Trump's FY19 Budget Would Be Devastating for the Country
On February 12, 2018, President Trump released his Fiscal Year 2019 budget. The Trump Budget is not a moral budget. It is a budget that takes our collective resources and hands them to the wealthiest families and largest corporations in this country and ignores the needs of the most vulnerable among us. What follows is a list of some of the most egregious proposals from the Trump Budget: Eliminate health insurance for 32 million Americans by repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Ac… Continue Reading
12.19.17
Parliamentarian Determines Three Provisions in Republican Tax Bill Are Impermissible
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 - The Senate parliamentarian advised Tuesday that three provisions in the Republican tax bill violate the Byrd rule, including a provision allowing for the use of 529 savings accounts for home-schooling expenses, the short title: "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," and part of the criteria used to determine whether the endowments of private universities are subject to the legislation's new excise tax. These provisions may be struck from the conference report absent 60 votes. Sen. … Continue Reading
07.27.17
State Waivers Largely Violate Senate Rules, According to Parliamentarian
WASHINGTON, July 27 - The Senate parliamentarian determined Thursday that portions of Section 207, "Waivers for State Innovation," of the Republican health bill are not permissible under Senate rules. Notably, the part that would have amended Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act to allow states to waive essential health benefits and other pre-existing condition requirements so long as their proposal does not increase the federal deficit violates the Byrd Rule. Under current law, 1332 waivers… Continue Reading
07.25.17
More Provisions in Republican Bill Violate Senate Rules, According to Parliamentarian
WASHINGTON, July 25 - The Senate parliamentarian determined Tuesday that additional provisions of the Republican "Better Care Reconciliation Act" released on June 26, 2017, violate the Byrd Rule. Should the Senate proceed to the bill, these provisions may be struck from the legislation absent 60 votes. "Not only is the legislation being proposed by Republican leadership a disaster for the American people, the process has been a travesty. This is legislation which impacts every American and one-… Continue Reading
07.21.17
Sanders Vows to Challenge Health Care Side Deals Benefiting Individual States
BURLINGTON, Vt., July 21 - U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday after the Senate parliamentarian determined that the "Buffalo Bailout," a provision of the Republican health care bill specifically targeting New York state, is in violation of Senate reconciliation rules: "Today, the Senate parliamentarian made a determination that at least a dozen provisions in the disastrous Trump-McConnell "health care" bill are in violation of Senate rules and cannot be includ… Continue Reading
07.21.17
Parliamentarian Determines a Dozen Provisions in Republican Health Care Bill Are Impermissible
BURLINGTON, Vt., July 21 - The Senate parliamentarian determined Friday that certain provisions of the Republican "Better Care Reconciliation Act," released on June 26, are impermissible under Senate reconciliation rules. Should the Senate proceed to the bill, these provisions may be struck from the legislation absent 60 votes. "The parliamentarian's decision today proves once again that the process Republicans have undertaken to repeal the Affordable Care Act and throw 22 million Americans off… Continue Reading
06.06.17
Statement on Parliamentarian Health Care Ruling
WASHINGTON, June 6 - Following the Senate parliamentarian's ruling on the House health care bill, Josh Miller-Lewis, a spokesman for Sen. Bernie Sanders, issued the statement below: "The parliamentarian has ruled in favor of the Republicans on one narrow procedural issue, but it remains to be seen whether the House-passed bill qualifies for reconciliation in the Senate. Specifically, Republicans have yet to prove they have met their deficit reduction targets in both the Senate HELP and Finance… Continue Reading
01.04.17
Sanders Blasts Republican Budget Slashing Health Care for Millions of Americans
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) slammed a Republican budget plan introduced Wednesday that he said would throw millions off health insurance, drive up already-skyrocketing prices seniors pay for prescription drugs and pave the way for cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. In a Senate floor speech, Sanders also called on President-elect Donald Trump to pledge to veto any legislation that would break his campaign promise to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He cited a Trum… Continue Reading
08.18.16
CBO Report: Rich Get Richer, Poor Get Poorer
BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 18 - Total wealth in the United States doubled between 1989 and 2013, but the wealth of the American family right in the middle of the economy barely budged in that time, according to a new report prepared by the Congressional Budget Office for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). "Over the period from 1989 through 2013, family wealth grew at significantly different rates for different segments of the U.S. population," CBO wrote. "The distribution of wealth among the nation'… Continue Reading
07.07.16
Sanders Supports Treasury Department Regulations to Prevent Corporate Tax Dodging
WASHINGTON, July 7 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday submitted formal comments to the Department of the Treasury on regulations issued to prevent corporate tax avoidance. The Treasury Department regulations, which were issued on April 4, effectively enforce the existing law that is meant to prevent corporate inversions and a tax dodge known as "earnings stripping," which allows corporations that are foreign-owned or inverted to avoid U.S. taxes. The regulations were the result of calls… Continue Reading
02.09.16
Committee Democrats Question Unprecedented Decision to Forgo Hearing on President’s Budget
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 - The Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee sent a letter to Chairman Mike Enzi today expressing their disappointment over the chairman's unprecedented decision to not hold a hearing on the president's Fiscal Year 2017 budget request. This is the first time in the committee's history that it has not held a hearing to discuss the president's budget. Even in 2004, when all Senate office buildings closed because of the presence of the toxin ricin in a Senate office, the Senat… Continue Reading
10.28.15
Sanders Statement on Budget Deal
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on the bipartisan budget deal, which also raises the national borrowing limit until March 2017. "This is not the budget I would have written. It doesn't ask the most profitable corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share in taxes and it increases Pentagon spending too much. But I will support it because it's much better than across-the-board budget cuts, increased premiums for Medicare, cuts t… Continue Reading
10.21.15
Sanders Calls for Action on Debt Ceiling, End to Budget Sequestration
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, called today for immediate action to lift the debt ceiling and end across-the-board budget cuts. "At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, let's work together on a budget that is fair," Sanders said during a Budget Committee hearing. "Let's end sequestration. And, at the very least, I hope we can all agree right now that we will pay our bills on time and we will not allow the United Stat… Continue Reading
09.10.15
Sanders Asks Treasury To Protect 10 Million Union Retirees
Sanders Asks Treasury To Protect 10 Million Union Retirees WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today called on the federal government to protect the pensions of up to 10 million retired union workers. Sanders, standing shoulder to shoulder with scores of retirees with vulnerable pensions, also vowed to work hard on winning support for his legislation to permanently fix pension shortfalls for union workers. "If Congress can bailout Wall Street and foreign banks throughout the … Continue Reading
08.11.15
Sanders Statement on Job Losses Caused by Sequestration
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, called for the end of budget sequestration after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projected enormous job losses for American workers if the arbitrary spending caps take effect as scheduled. "These arbitrary sequestration caps have never made any sense, and now we see even more clearly the implications for our workers," Sanders said. "If Congress does not act to end sequestration, we're looking at the loss of… Continue Reading
07.29.15
Sanders Statement on Hedge Fund Managers Advice To Puerto Rico
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after a group of economists hired by hedge fund managers suggested that the government of Puerto Rico lay off teachers and close schools to pay off debt. "It is a moral outrage that hedge fund managers are calling on the Puerto Rican government to shut down schools and slash the social safety net to pay back billionaires on Wall Street. At a time when 56 percent of children in P… Continue Reading
07.17.15
Sanders Announces He's Backing New Attempt to Break Up Big Banks, Working With Senator Warren on Her Glass-Steagall Act
Sanders Backs 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act WASHINGTON, July 17 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that he is co-sponsoring a bill by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act. This important piece of legislation would prevent commercial banks from engaging in risky investment schemes that nearly destroyed the economy in 2008. "I strongly support Sen. Elizabeth Warren's bill to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act," Sanders said. On July 1, 1999, while Con… Continue Reading
07.14.15
Sanders Joins Rep Conyers & Other Senate/House Members Asking President to Support Expanding Social Security
WASHINGTON, July 12 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) today joined with 70 other members of Congress in calling on President Obama to support expanding Social Security. The letter to the president came on the eve of a historic conference on aging, convened once every 10 years to get the entire country talking about issues relating to older Americans. "A clear majority of Americans support expanding Social Security," wrote Sanders, Conyers and other lawmakers. "As em… Continue Reading
06.25.15
Sanders & Schakowsky Plan Tackles Wealth Inequality With Estate Tax Reform
WASHINGTON, June 25 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced legislation to increase estate tax rates on the top three-tenths of one percent of Americans who inherit more than $3.5 million, while eliminating loopholes that have allowed the wealthiest Americans to avoid billions in taxes. Sanders said the legislation was needed to reduce the massive gap between the very rich and working class Americans. The announcement was the latest tax reform proposal from Sanders, who has made the issu… Continue Reading