Patrick Leahy in 2016 VT Senate race

On Principles & Values: Co-sponsored Do No Harm Act: keep church and state separate

Americans United supports the legislation. AU's President said that "the Do No Harm Act will ensure that we honor two core American values: religious freedom and the promise of equal protection under the law."

Congress enacted the federal RFRA in 1993 with the goal of protecting religious freedom, especially for religious minorities. At that time, a broad coalition of progressive & conservative groups supported the law. But since then, the federal RFRA has been misinterpreted by some courts and has become a vehicle for those who want to use religion to undermine protections for civil rights and access to health care.

On Corporations: Amend Constitutional to declare corporations are NOT people

Leahy: The Citizens United decision was a strike at the core of our democracy with few other decisions having such a negative impact on our political process. I advocated for campaign finance reform before the Citizens United decision. As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and on the heels of the disastrous McCutcheon decision, I led the debate for a Constitutional Amendment to rein in the influence of billionaires and make it clear that corporations are NOT people. I fully intend to continue to lead this fight if I am re-elected to the US Senate. Continuing to fight the influence of big money in politics by championing a constitutional amendment to declare once and for all that corporations are not people and overturn the devastating Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

On Energy & Oil: Human-caused climate change is accelerating

Patrick Leahy: Human-caused climate change is accelerating with each passing year to devastating effects on our natural resources and our global economy. We must act to mitigate any further damage by aggressively moving toward clean energy sources and cutting our carbon emissions. I was proud to support President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which set the first ever carbon pollution standards for power plants, our nation's largest stationary source of greenhouse gas emissions. But more needs to be done. We cannot allow climate deniers to continue to risk the futures of our children and our grandchildren. Addressing the devastating effects of human-caused climate change, which is accelerating each year. We must do everything we can to protect our environment, especially Lake Champlain, the Green Mountain National Forest and Vermont's other environmental treasures.

On Jobs: Raise minimum wage & eliminate gender pay gap

Patrick Leahy: The federal minimum wage has not kept up with inflation, and I have been proud to support legislation that would raise our federal minimum wage. People who work 40 hours a week should not live in poverty, go hungry or not be able to afford their medication. Raising the minimum wage should not be a question. It is common sense. It is fair. It is right. Hard working women in Vermont and across the country face discrimination with every paycheck, and I am proud to support the Paycheck Fairness act. I was also proud to call on FIFA to eliminate their gender discrimination in pay, and I was an original cosponsor to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

On Homeland Security: End the NSA's bulk collection program

In a statement after the vote, Leahy said, "Momentum is on the side of surveillance reform. The USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 is a true bipartisan compromise. I would prefer more reforms as anyone can see from previous versions of the bill that I have introduced. Other Senators would prefer more dragnet surveillance. The USA FREEDOM Act achieves the important goal of ending the NSA's bulk collection program while ensuring the intelligence community's capabilities. Senate Republicans have an opportunity to avoid brinkmanship on this important national security issue. The Senate should take up and pass the USA FREEDOM Act." The bill now heads to the Senate.