Vermont Democratic Senator Peter Welch discussed state and federal issues during a stop in Burlington Monday. Welch told WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley that Small Business Saturday will be crucial for Vermont businesses, especially in the wake of a slowing economy and the implementation of tariffs.
Small businesses are like 85% of the business in Vermont. It's where the jobs are. Number two, small businesses help make our communities vibrant. You know, downtown in Burlington is on the way back and the small businesses are what attract shoppers. They attract people to come and have a good time. And so it's absolutely vital, and anytime we can shop locally, let's do it.
Governor Scott is appealing the rejection of the disaster declaration from the July floods. What do you think the odds are that President Trump will approve it this time around?
Well, first of all, I totally support Governor Scott in the appeal. Number two, what FEMA is doing under Kristi Noem and with Trump is terrible. They're talking about abolishing it. We have to have a federal role for FEMA. And Vermont got hammered three years in a row with floods. It's a very legitimate appeal. We should not be denied. And what I'm really alarmed about is that President Trump has said explicitly that he's going to go after, quote, blue states. He'll take it away, not because you don't qualify, but because he doesn't like your politics. That's really wrong.
If he denies it again what sorts of pathways are available via Congress to help?
Well, the reality is, I think we in Congress should come together number one to support reform of FEMA, make it more responsive, but to maintain it and improve it.
Recently, the task force on education reform in Vermont issued a report that was widely criticized. That in conjunction with the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, how concerned are you about education in Vermont?
Very concerned. Two things. One, the cost. Our property tax is very high. It's a time where everybody is struggling with affordability. So we have student enrollments down, expenses going up, and that is a huge challenge for Vermont. Secondly, the Department of Education, my concern about the way the current administration approaches things is they destroy it. They don't reform it. You know, we need reform in many of our institutions, including the Department of Education, but you don't reform it by blowing it up.
For a long time, the Trump administration denied that affordability was an issue. It seems to be turning course now. What can Congress do to help affordability for everything from books to sporting gear?
That's got to be our number one priority. Number two, just a couple of things: get rid of these tariffs. I believe they're illegal. The President does not have the authority. That is raising cost for everybody. So the tariffs should go. That's number one. Number two, we should be having policies that are friendly to business as opposed to these tax cuts that are causing four and a half trillion dollars in the deficit. The second thing that is really going to hurt business is if these tax credits that help folks afford health care, the affordable tax care credits. A lot of small businesses have been able to provide employer sponsored health care with the assistance of those tax credits. They expire on January 1 and we're fighting to extend them and that would help businesses a lot because they'd be able to take care of their employees.
What do you make of this Ukrainian peace deal that Secretary of State Rubio has said is Putin's wish list?
It's a total sellout of Ukraine. It's appalling. This is something that should be signed in Munich if they're ever going to do it. It brings back memories of Neville Chamberlain. We've got to stand by Ukraine and the European Union and our allies there are standing by Ukraine and we cannot give in to the aggression and the brutality of this invasion by Putin of Ukraine.
A group of Democratic lawmakers in the past few days reminded military members that they can ignore illegal mandates by the president or Congress, and President Trump went ballistic on that. What do you make of that and the fallout?
Well, there's two things. One, what my colleagues stated was what existing law is: you cannot follow an illegal order. But number two, the context here, there's a lot of concern. I have concern about the president unilaterally blowing up boats off the coast of Venezuela. We have no information about that. There's no valid justification for it. That's a concern. And then when you have the President saying he wants to send military into American cities to get training, essentially, that's out of bounds. So I think the President's got to restrain himself from doing things that are beyond what I believe is within the lawful authority of the executive.
We just saw Marjorie Taylor Greene announce that she's going to leave Congress. Is MAGA losing its tentacles on Congress and the Federal Administration?
Well, you know, Marjorie Taylor Greene had a dispute with the President about the release of the Epstein files and I have a lot of respect for her insistence that those files be released. And the president, through his Attorney General and it really is his Attorney General, she said she had the client list on her desk. Where is it? And essentially Marjorie Taylor Greene, and a lot of folks who support her, are asking the same question I'm asking. Where is it? So I don't know that this reflects on the state of MAGA, but I do think it reflects on the hypocrisy of the President on the one hand saying there is a client list, said that through Bondi, and on the other hand doing everything he can to keep it out of the public's knowledge.
Welch took other questions and offered his perspective on the recent meeting between President Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
I was delighted, actually, that the meeting went so well and I think President Trump was smart to welcome the mayor-elect. And I think what Trump saw was that the Mamdani message about affordability is a powerful message. That is the issue for everyday Americans. It's not just Vermont. You know, the cost of housing, the cost of health care, the cost of groceries. And Mamdani won on that. Trump's ignored it, and I think maybe Trump is trying to hitch a ride. So if Trump starts adopting some good policies to bring everyday person’s costs down, I'm all on board.
Welch also signaled dismay over the Trump Administration’s policies regarding Canada and the resulting negative impact on Vermont’s business and tourism sectors.
