A horrible earthquake struck Haiti and the United States stood at the forefront of a worldwide rescue operation. In Washington, as the Obama administration marked its first anniversary in office, the White House and leaders of Congress engaged in eleventh-hour negotiations on health care reform. In Vermont, Senator Bernie Sanders traveled the state discussing health care before the state Legislature, meeting with constituents, and championing initiatives like community health centers and solar energy.

Helping Haiti Rescue workers struggled to get food and water to millions of Haitians and thousands of foreign missionaries and aid workers still trapped in the country's capital days after a 7.0 magnitude earth quake struck on Tuesday, killing thousands.  "The United States and the international community must act quickly to address the immediate needs of the Haitian people and to support the government of Haiti," according to a letter from Senator Sanders and many others to Senate leaders.  "Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and lacks the capacity to respond to and recover from a disaster of such scale and scope.  Robust and immediate U.S. assistance to Haiti in the wake of this catastrophe is vital to support stability in that fragile country, and is in our own national security interest."

Health Care The White House, Congressional leaders and labor unions reached agreement on a proposal to change a tax on health insurance policies. Labor leaders said late Thursday that they now will support the health care legislation. The changes would lessen and delay the impact of the tax on workers.  The deal also reduces the amount of revenue collected to help finance coverage for millions of people who are uninsured. Sanders was a vocal critic of the tax, offering a Senate amendment to get rid of it and holding a press conference with workers and labor leaders outside the Capitol. "We are not going to raise taxes on working people to pay for health care reform," he told the December 10 press conference. To watch, click here.

Bank Fee President Obama laid out his proposal for a new tax on the nation's largest financial institutions on Thursday. Sen. Bernard Sanders, a fierce critic of Wall Street, told The New York Times: "The president's proposal is a strong step in the right direction. Wall Street must pay back every last dime that financial firms and other corporations received from the American taxpayer. We also have to break up banks that are too big to fail and cap credit card interest rates to stop big banks from ripping off the American people." To read the article, click here.

Oil Speculation Federal regulators proposed a rule Thursday that would place limits on large-scale oil traders, potentially reducing the volatility of the oil market. Sanders, an outspoken opponent of oil speculation, praised the proposed trading limits set by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission - but not the timing. "While I commend the commission for coming up with reasonable limits on excessive oil speculation, I am very disappointed that this proposal as currently written will not go into effect until March of 2011.  We need to stop Wall Street from jacking up oil prices and we need to do it now.  My constituents are already paying too much for heating oil to stay warm this winter.  Under this proposal, speculators will be able to artificially increase gasoline prices through the summer driving season and into next winter.  That is wrong.  The CFTC has the power and the responsibility to stop excessive oil speculation in its tracks.  American consumers and small businesses deserve no less."

Energy Nuclear and solar power sources of energy in Vermont made news during the past week. The company that runs the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant came under fire for misleading denials that underground pipes at the reactor site near Vernon, Vt., contain radioactive fluid. Sanders said he was "alarmed" by potentially misleading statements said he will ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to conduct a "full investigation." The Vermont congressional delegation made that request in a letter sent Friday.  Meanwhile, Sanders announced he has secured funding for energy-efficient and money-saving solar water systems at four housing complexes around the state. Sanders on Wednesday visited the Salmon Run Apartments in Burlington to announce a project to install solar water heaters there and at similar affordable housing developments in Rutland, Brattleboro and Bennington.  Sanders also announced 10 Vermont schools in line to receive funding for educational solar energy projects.

Obama at One Year Mark It has been a year since the president was inaugurated in an historic ceremony before a huge crowd amassed on the Capitol's west lawn and sprawling onto the national Mall. "That was then, one very long year ago.  Where are we now?" Sanders asked in a column published by The Nation. "Democrats of every stripe and many independents are perplexed, dispirited and sometimes disgusted. Constituency after constituency has been ignored or rejected," Sanders wrote.  In the article entitled "Where Do We Go From Here?"  Sanders laid out his prescriptions for how to renew the hope and optimism Obama brought to Washington. To read the article, click here.