Bernie Buzz

Earlier this month, I wrote to you about Vermont’s housing crisis and asked you to share your thoughts about how this crisis is affecting you. You had a LOT to say! Clearly, this is an issue that is impacting tens of thousands of Vermonters. And, by the way, the high cost of housing is an issue in virtually every state in the country. In my view, instead of giving $1 trillion in tax breaks to the one percent, we should be building millions of units of low income and affordable housing that Vermonters and people all over this nation desperately need. This is a major priority for my office.

Did you know that each fall, spring and summer, college students and young professionals can apply to intern for Senator Sanders at our offices in Burlington, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.? These interns contribute to the work our staff does every day on behalf of Vermont and the nation. Our application is open now through October 26 for the spring semester, which runs from January through mid-May.

As you know, Republicans in Congress are holding firm on their plan to eliminate subsidies for Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage. That plan would cause massive premium hikes for tens of thousands of Vermonters. In addition, they continue to insist that 15 million Americans, including 45,000 in Vermont, lose their health insurance entirely because of massive cuts to Medicaid and the ACA.

Decent and affordable housing is a human right. Period. But throughout our state, too many Vermonters are being squeezed between stagnating wages and the skyrocketing cost of housing. Whether it is Burlington, Brattleboro, Saint Johnsbury or Bennington — and all the places in between — the cost of housing is soaring and becoming less and less affordable

Few people deny that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics are going to have a profound impact on the United States and the world. The question is: who benefits and who gets hurt? How do we use this transformational technology to improve life for all Americans, and not just the billionaires who own the technology.

If you have seen or read the news lately, you have undoubtedly heard that the government shut down last night. It can be hard to cut through all the noise of cable news and social media and really understand what is going on in our nation’s capital. Let me tell you more about what is happening, and what I believe we should be doing to fund the government and improve the lives of Vermonters and people throughout the country.