President Obama on Monday sent Congress a $3.73 trillion budget. Programs for working families were cut because late last year Obama reached a deal with Republicans to extend billions of dollars in tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. As winter weekend lows in Burlington, Vt., were predicted to plunge to near zero, Sen. Bernie Sanders led the charge against a proposal to cut home heating assistance in half.

Obama Budget — "I have a lot of problems with the president's budget. I think it's bad," Sanders said. "But I think the Republican budget is a lot worse. My job, along with other progressive members of Congress, is to help create a budget which is fair and which protects the most vulnerable people in this country."  Click here to watch an interview on the NewsHour on PBS.

Struggling Through the Recession — On the same day Obama's budget was sent to Congress, Sanders unveiled a collection of some of the hundreds of letters he has received from Vermonters and others about their experiences three years after the economy collapsed. The stories are poignant. Click here to read the booklet.  Click here to watch the senator discuss the letters on the Senate floor.

Home Heating Help — Vermont's congressional delegation protested a White House proposal to cut in half federal heating help for low-income households. Sanders said Vermont residents are feeling the energy pinch this winter, paying nearly $3.50 a gallon on average for heating oil, up more than 70 cents a gallon from last year. Sanders was the chief sponsor of a 2008 bill that doubled federal heating assistance. Sanders made his displeasure know at a Senate hearing Thursday, when he told Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, "We can throw old ladies in the state of Vermont off the heating assistance program when it gets 20 below zero. Man, that is real political courage." To watch, click here.

Social Security — "Social Security is the most successful social program in American history. It shouldn't be privatized; its benefits shouldn't be cut; and the retirement age shouldn't be raised," Sen. Sanders wrote in a column published Monday by the Los Angeles Times. Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad criticized Obama's budget for dodging entitlement reform. Sanders pushed back in a floor speech Wednesday. "We made a promise to the American people regarding Social Security and that's a promise we have to keep."  To read the column, click here.

Rebuild America — At a Senate public works hearing, Sen. Sanders called for rebuilding America's crumbling infrastructure and backed an initiative that could create millions of good-paying jobs.  Contrasting the U.S. with China, he said "We have trains go from Location A to Location B in a slower time than they did 50 years ago ... We're moving backward [while] the Chinese are building dozens of high-speed rails." To watch, click here. To read more, click here.

Green Jobs — Sanders chaired a hearing Tuesday on green jobs. Green jobs are important for the economy and the environment, he said. "China understands the value of sustainable energy and is fighting as hard as they can to make sure they own this industry," Sanders said.

Environmental Scorecard — Sanders received a perfect score on the League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard for 2010. With Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch also receiving 100 percent tallies, Vermont's congressional delegation was the only one in the country to receive a perfect score. The leading national environmental group evaluated senators' records based on six key votes last year, including two  votes on amendments offered by Sanders.  To read the League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard, click here.