Several members of Vermont's federal congressional delegation reacted in support of an announcement Tuesday that the U.S. House of Representatives would be beginning a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

The announcement came after Trump acknowledged that he spoke with Ukraine about investigating Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Lawmakers are also concerned about a complaint filed by a whistleblower who reported an "urgent concern" about national security, and they are fighting to obtain the document, which has been blocked from being passed along to Congress.

Rep. Peter Welch

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch said Trump "willfully put his own political interests above the national security interests of the American people." Welch, who serves as a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, initially announced his support for Trump's impeachment in July.

“By his own admission, the President pressured a foreign leader to take action that would directly benefit his reelection campaign," Welch said in a statement. "It appears he did so shortly after he directed his staff to suspend the pending release of a congressionally approved foreign aid package to that country."

Welch added, “Throughout his presidency, he has established a clear pattern of disregard for the rule of law and our constitutional system of checks and balances. And he has repeatedly violated his oath of office to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution."

Sen. Bernie Sanders

On Facebook, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is making a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, also said he had called for impeachment three months ago, adding, "I believed then and I believe now that in Donald Trump we have the most corrupt president in the modern history of this country."

"I think all over this country, we have people, including Republicans, who are sick and tired of a president who believes that he does not have to obey the Constitution of the United States, and that he is above the law," Sanders wrote. "Enough is enough."

Sen. Patrick Leahy

Sen. Patrick Leahy did not directly react to the decision to pursue an impeachment inquiry, but on Twitter, he shared a tweet saying that the Senate unanimously agreed to a resolution calling for the whistleblower complaint to be turned over to the congressional intelligence committees immediately.

"Holding the president accountable will require that we proceed one step at a time," Leahy wrote. "But this is an important step."

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 802-651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.