The Week in Review

This week Sen. Bernie Sanders, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, warned governors in all 50 states about the devastating cuts their states will face if the Republican budget plan becomes law. . “The Republican budget moves this country in exactly the wrong direction,” Sanders said. While the Supreme Court took up cases on whether the Constitution gives gay couples the right to marry, Sanders spoke out in favor of same-sex marriage saying “It’s time for the Supreme Court to catch up to the American people and legalize gay marriage.” On CNN, Sanders discussed the ongoing protests in Baltimore saying that “Police officers have got to be held accountable for their actions.”

Baltimore Protests

Maryland’s state attorney on Friday said Freddie Gray’s death in police custody was a homicide and that his arrest was illegal. Sen. Sanders addressed the issue while speaking on CNN saying “I was a mayor for eight years. Being a cop is a very, very difficult job. But the word has got to get out that when police act inappropriately … police officers have got to be held accountable for their actions,” Sen. Sanders told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Watch the interview here.

Howard University

Sen. Sanders spoke to a packed room on Tuesday at Howard University and outlined legislation he will introduce to eliminate tuition for undergraduate public college and universities, reform student loans and expand work-study programs. Sanders also discussed the Senate budget agreement, rising income inequality and the need to rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

Supreme Court on Gay Marriage

The Supreme Court on Tuesday took up cases on whether the Constitution gives gay couples the right to marry. Justices also agreed to decide by the end of their term this June whether states that do not permit same-sex weddings must recognize couples legally married in other states. Sen. Sanders has a long record of support for the right of gays to marry. “Of course all citizens deserve equal rights. It’s time for the Supreme Court to catch up to the American people and legalize gay marriage,” Sanders said. In the House, he voted in 1996 against the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which barred federal recognition of gay marriages. The Supreme Court in 2013 struck down part of that law as unconstitutional. In Vermont, Sanders supported efforts in the state Legislature which in 2000 passed a law recognizing civil unions. Vermont went on in 2009 to be the first states to legalize gay marriage without a court order.

Bad Budget Warning

Sen. Sanders on Monday warned all 50 governors about the devastating cuts their states will face if the Republican budget plan becomes law. In a series of letters, Sanders explained what the cuts would mean for working families, the elderly, children, the sick and the poor if the budget blueprint for the next fiscal year is not revised. House and Senate action on a budget resolution is expected shortly. “The Republican budget moves this country in exactly the wrong direction,” Sanders said. “At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, it gives huge tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, while making devastating cuts to education, Medicare, affordable housing and prescription drug coverage.” Read the letter here. Continue reading here.