Hi There,

It’s been a busy first couple of months since I was sworn in to the Senate. I assembled my team, received my committee assignments, and quickly jumped back into the legislative process.

2023 is going to be a pivotal year in many ways, and I wanted to take a look ahead to what we can expect for the rest of the year.

Commonsense, bipartisan legislation to help Vermonters: I’ve already introduced legislation to protect the environment and help independent pharmacies. I’ll continue reaching across the aisle to help Vermonters.

The fight for reproductive rights: Now that the ultraconservative Supreme Court has overturned Roe, we have to do everything we can to protect reproductive rights. Republicans in Congress will continue to try and restrict reproductive freedom even further, and Democrats will have to do everything we can to ensure that every person who wants an abortion can get one.

Attacks on the LGBTQ+ community: We’ve seen a disturbing trend in states throughout the country working to restrict the rights of the trans community. The right-wing is trying to keep them from competing in sports, stop them from using the correct bathrooms, and keep them from getting gender-affirming care. Trans rights are human rights, and I’ll fight for them in the Senate.

Fighting climate change with the Farm Bill: Congress needs to re-authorize the Farm Bill this year and, as a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, this is a great opportunity for me to focus on fighting climate change in agriculture. We can support small farmers and rebuild rural communities while helping save our planet.

Implementing the Inflation Reduction Act: Last year we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate package in U.S. history. But the work doesn’t end there. My office has been working hard to make sure funding and programs in the law get implemented in Vermont so we can bring down costs for families and help the planet.

When I traveled the state last year and listened to so many of you, I heard about these issues time and time again. I’m going to be laser-focused on them and many others in the Senate.

Thanks,

Peter Welch