Peter Welch
Progressive
Democrat
Senator
Vermont
Current Position: Senator from Vermont
Running For: N/A
Policy Positions
Economic Policy
- For increased federal investment in affordable housing, including fighting to pass the American Rescue Plan (securing $11 billion for Vermont affordable housing), voting for the Build Back Better Act ($150 billion for affordable housing), and cosponsoring the Moving Forward Act (increased housing tax credits plus $100 billion for affordable housing programs).
- For expanding funding for home and community-based services for people with disabilities, including behavioral health support, through support of the American Rescue Plan.
Business & Labor
- For supporting Vermont's dairy farmers and food systems, including strengthening the dairy safety net through the Margin Protection Program, protecting international trade access for Vermont dairy, pushing for increased support for organic dairy farmers, introducing the Dairy Pride Act to enforce dairy labeling standards, and working to expand SNAP benefits, achieve universal school meals, and increase food bank funding; Against the Renewable Fuel Standard's corn ethanol subsidy, which he says raises feed costs, damages small engines, and harms the environment.
- For pandemic relief funding targeted at small businesses and venues, including cosponsoring the Restaurant Relief Package in the American Rescue Plan; authoring the Save Our Stages Act for live music, theater, and performing arts venues; and strongly supporting the Paycheck Protection Program.
- For raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour via the Raise the Wage Act; for closing the gender pay gap through the Paycheck Fairness Act; for cosponsoring the PRO Act to strengthen union organizing rights; for expanded paid leave, capped childcare costs, and affordable housing investment through the Build Back Better Act; for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (funding Vermont roads, bridges, clean water, and broadband); for the Connecting Americans Act ($80 billion for affordable broadband); for a Civilian Climate Corps; for the COMPETES Act to strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains; and for the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act to penalize oil companies profiting off crises.
- For strengthening union and frontline worker protections, including cosponsoring the PRO Act; supporting the HEROES Act's $200 billion fund to increase pay for essential frontline workers; supporting minimum nurse-to-patient staffing requirements; and cosponsoring the Workplace Violence Protection for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, and the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act.
- For expanding VA healthcare access for veterans exposed to burn pits, including cosponsoring the Honoring Our PACT Act (H.R. 3967) and co-leading the Burn Pit Registry Expansion Act and the Department of Defense Burn Pits Health Provider Training Act; for expanding veteran mental health services via the REACH for Veterans Act; for additional VA funding for health care, health research, housing, and supportive services; and for increased funding for the VA Supportive Housing Program to end veteran homelessness.
Health Care
- For Medicare for All via cosponsoring the Medicare for All Act of 2021; for lowering prescription drug costs by cosponsoring the Lower Drug Costs Now Act (allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices); for expanding telehealth access through the CONNECT for Health Act; for addressing health inequities via the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act and the COVID Community Care Act; and for protecting frontline healthcare workers through the Workplace Violence Protection for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act, the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, and the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.
- For expanding access to evidence-based opioid addiction treatment, including cosponsoring the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency Act; steering nearly $1.2 million in federal funding to resume and expand a Vermont medication-assisted treatment program; and cosponsoring the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act to expand access to buprenorphine.
Education
- For expanding access to higher education and reducing its cost, including cosponsoring the Debt Free College Act, the College for All Act (waiving tuition/fees for community college and qualifying public college students), and the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act (doubling Pell Grant awards and tying them to inflation); advocating for public service student loan forgiveness; and calling on President Biden to cancel up to $50,000 in federal student loan debt per borrower.
Environment
- For aggressive climate action, including cosponsoring the Green New Deal, sponsoring a bill requiring 70% renewable electricity by 2030, championing LIHEAP funding for low-income energy bills, authoring the Hope for Homes Act (energy efficiency upgrade grants), supporting elimination of fossil fuel and corn ethanol subsidies, supporting the PFAS Action Act of 2021, introducing the American Renewable Energy Act of 2021, cosponsoring the Great American Outdoors Act (permanent Land and Water Conservation Fund), and introducing the Recreational Trails Full Funding Act.
Civil Rights
- For transgender rights and gender-affirming medical care and counseling for transgender and nonbinary adults and adolescents
- For abortion rights; supports reproductive rights, access to birth control, and federal nationwide legislation to make abortion legal; supported Roe v. Wade and criticized its overturn
- For the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), setting a minimum age of 13 for social media use and restricting algorithmically targeted content for users under 17
- For LGBTQ+ civil rights protections, including cosponsoring and voting for the Equality Act; cosponsoring the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Every Child Deserves a Family Act; supporting an NDAA amendment to end the ban on transgender military service; and cosponsoring the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act to classify conversion therapy as consumer fraud.
- For addressing systemic racial injustice, including cosponsoring the Green New Deal's environmental justice provisions; helping pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to combat racially discriminatory voting restrictions; cosponsoring the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act; cosponsoring the First Step Act to reduce recidivism; supporting federal decriminalization of marijuana; and cosponsoring the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act.
- For codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law through the Women's Health Protection Act; for fully funding Planned Parenthood and Title X family planning services; and for cosponsoring the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act.
Voting Rights & Democracy
- For expanding voting rights and election security, including cosponsoring and helping pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act; for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and for campaign finance reform; and for cosponsoring the Protecting Our Democracy Act to increase government transparency, address abuses of presidential power, and secure elections.
Immigration & Foreign Affairs
- For an indefinite ceasefire in the Gaza war; voted for applying human rights provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act to U.S. aid to Israel's military; voted to cancel Trump administration's $8.8 billion in arms sales to Israel
- Against arming and training Syrian rebels; opposes 'boots on the ground' in dealing with ISIL
Public Safety
- For commonsense gun safety reforms, including cosponsoring the Bipartisan Background Checks Act (universal background checks) and the Assault Weapons Ban Act; supporting removal of the ban on CDC gun violence research; working to ban bump stocks and limit ammunition clip size; and cosponsoring the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (a "red flag" law).