During the last year, as the economy continued to struggle to recover from the most severe recession since the Great Depression, Bernie led the fight to prevent the budget from being balanced on the backs of the most vulnerable people in our country. He founded the Defending Social Security Caucus, which helped prevent Social Security benefits from being rolled back as part of a misguided deficit cutting deal.  Bernie knows the nation's $15 trillion debt must be addressed, but he has consistently argued that it must be dealt with in a way that is fair to America's working and middle class families.  In what he termed, "shared sacrifice," Bernie said the country's wealthiest people and largest corporations must contribute their fair share, and that the budget cannot be balanced on the backs of the elderly, the children, the sick or the poor.  During the summer, Bernie encouraged the president not to yield to Republican demands to shield the rich from any tax increase. As the year concluded, Bernie introduced his first ever constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United ruling which unleashed waves of corporate cash into our democracy.

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December

SAVING OUR DEMOCRACY - A constitutional amendment by Bernie would reverse the infamous Citizens United ruling that let corporations secretly spend unlimited sums on election campaigns. "That is not what American democracy is about," Bernie said.
Watch: Bernie discusses Irene damage on CNN »
Read more and sign the petition »

SAVING THE POSTAL SYSTEM - Bernie helped persuade the Postal Service to agree to a five-month moratorium on closing postal facilities and laying off tens of thousands of workers. Congress now has until mid-May to consider comprehensive postal reform legislation, including Bernie's Postal Service Protection Act.
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DISASTER AID - Bernie helped secure $7.1 billion in assistance to help states which suffered natural disasters. In Vermont, Tropical Storm Irene forced more than 1,500 families from their homes, washed away 2,200 roads and bridges, devastated 450 farms, and completely isolated a dozen towns for almost a week. Bernie and the delegation worked to secure more than $200 million for Vermont to help recover from Irene. "When disaster strikes anywhere in our country, our nation comes together to provide the support that communities need in order to rebuild," Bernie said.
Watch: Bernie discusses Irene damage on CNN »

November

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? - While Bernie was disappointed the Congressional Super Committee was unable to reach an agreement to reduce the $15 trillion national debt in a way that was fair to the middle class, he was pleased that no "deal" was reached to make cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Read a letter from Bernie »

STOP THE TAR SANDS PIPELINE  - In a victory for the environment, the State Department put off for at least a year any decision on the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. Bernie helped lead the congressional opposition.
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October

RETHINK THE FED - After a new investigation uncovered widespread conflicts of interest in the Federal Reserve Bank System, Bernie assembled some of the best economic minds in the country, including a Nobel Prize winner, to help him develop legislation to rethink and fundamentally reform the nearly 100-year-old Federal Reserve.
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THE RECESSION AND OLDER AMERICANS - Millions of American seniors have seen a decline in their standard of living and are struggling to survive, according to a report released at a Senate hearing chaired by Bernie. The report showed unemployment among older workers has doubled since 2007 while household incomes fell and medical costs rose.
Watch the NBC Nightly News report »
Watch Gail Ruggles' moving testimony »

September

IS POVERTY A DEATH SENTENCE? - Bernie cited dramatic evidence linking poverty and shorter life spans in a report for a Senate hearing he chaired. A new census report, meanwhile, said 46 million Americans -- more than ever before -- lived in poverty last year.
Watch the hearing »

August

A JOBS CRISIS - Bernie spoke to more than 3,000 union leaders at the convention of the United Steelworkers of America in Las Vegas.  He addressed the need to create millions of good-paying jobs and to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  "These are tough times in our country and a pivotal moment in our history," Bernie said.
Watch Bernie's Speech »

July

54.5 MPG-Bernie praised the deal reached by the Obama administration and U.S. automakers that will increase the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. "The deal," Bernie said, "will save car owners money at the gas pump, cut greenhouse gas emissions and create American jobs."
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June

SHARED SACRIFICE - "Don't yield, Mr. President," Bernie said in a Senate speech after congressional Republicans walked out of budget talks. Bernie called for at least half of the deficit reduction to come from taxing the wealthiest Americans and the most profitable corporations.
More than 100,000 people signed Bernie's letter calling for Shared Sacrifice »

May

MEDICARE-FOR-ALL - Bernie introduced a Medicare-for-all, single-payer bill to provide better care for more people at less cost by eliminating private insurance companies that rake in billions of dollars in profits. Also in May, Bernie asked a basic question during a Senate hearing, "Is there a right to health care?" The question sent Sen. Rand Paul into a discourse on slavery and conscription.
Watch the press conference about Bernie's bill »
Watch the video from the hearing »

April

BUDGET OUTRAGE - Americans were outraged about a House-passed budget bill that would destroy Medicare and Medicaid, put Social Security at risk and give $1 trillion in new tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Bernie called the measure "the most right-wing extremist piece of legislation that I have ever seen in my life."
Watch: Bernie describes budget as "Robin Hood in Reverse" »
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March

THE UNTHINKABLE - As Japan's nuclear crisis worsened, Bernie raised questions about nuclear safety in the United States. Reactors with nearly identical designs as the crippled Fukushima plant now operate at 23 U.S. plants, including Vermont Yankee. "People think that a terrible event is unthinkable until the day after that event occurs," Bernie said.
Watch Bernie at the hearing »
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February

AFGHANISTAN: 'A CLEAR EXIT STRATEGY' - Bernie returned from a fact-finding tour of Pakistan and Afghanistan where he met with each nation's president and Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
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January

DEFENDING SOCIAL SECURITY - Bernie held the first meeting of the Senate Social Security Caucus, which he founded, to guard against cuts to Social Security, which for 75 years has paid every benefit owed to every eligible retiree, widow, orphan and disabled American without contributing a nickel to the federal deficit. 
Watch »