Sen. Leahy prepares to leave behind a legacy of cooperation

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - As he prepares to leave office, Patrick Leahy is working to encourage a collaborative atmosphere in the Senate.

Leahy has just a couple months left in the job he’s held for 48 years as Senator for Vermont.

Now, he’s turning his attention to get a $1.5 trillion Omnibus bill passed before he leaves office in January.

Senator Leahy says, “I’m going to have to bring people, as Chairman, from across the political spectrum to get it through. I think we can, and those who do that, I’m going to say, ‘Now, watch this as an example for the future.’ It can be done; it’s how it was when I came there.”

Leahy says Congress used to be more collaborative, with members working across the aisle to achieve their objectives.

So now, he says he likes to invite people from both parties into his Senate chambers for off-the-record meetings to work towards a common goal - something he hopes his successor will continue.

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