The Bernie Buzz

Today, Senator Welch and I announced a major step forward in making dental care in Vermont more affordable and accessible. We celebrated the construction of what will be the largest dental clinic in the state and the first ever designed to train dentists here. When completed, the clinic will have 49 dental chairs. The first class of students will arrive from Detroit in September of 2027 and begin treating thousands of Vermonters. People of all income levels will be welcome.

I am happy to be hosting a youth choral concert again this year and hope you can join me in celebrating the commitment of Vermont young people, teachers and families to the arts. In its eighth year, the concert is taking place on April 11 at 6PM at the Casella Theater on Vermont State University’s (VTSU) Castleton Campus. Whether you know a young person participating this year or just want to enjoy a great night of music from talented young Vermonters from around the state, we hope you can join this great community event.

This past Saturday, 14 high school students from around Vermont joined me at the State House in Montpelier for a roundtable discussion on the essays they submitted to my 16th Annual State of the Union Essay Contest. The contest is an opportunity for Vermont high school students to describe a major issue facing our country and propose how to solve it.

Earlier this month, our office shared information with you about the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) process, where members of Congress can direct federal dollars to where they are needed most, and many of you attended a webinar about the process. We wanted to share some important updates on this funding, including a new application deadline of 5 p.m. on March 30, 2026.

This past Saturday 180 young people from around our state joined me and my staff at the Vermont State University in Randolph for our fourth annual Youth Chess Day. It was a great turnout and a great day.

As Congress prepares to work on the Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Bill in Washington, we are kicking off our Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) application process here in Vermont. As Congress prepares to work on the Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Bill in Washington, we are kicking off our Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) application process here in Vermont.