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U.S. Senator from Vermont

Peter Welch

Democrat · Vermont

Former Vermont House Speaker and longtime House member, elected to Senate in 2022. Focus on drug pricing, rural Vermont issues, dairy farming, and democracy reform.

Record

Progressive Democrat. Champion of drug price negotiation legislation. Focus on Vermont dairy farming and rural healthcare access. Bipartisan approach to Vermont-specific agricultural and rural issues.

Legislative Record

Recently sponsored bills (8 on record)

  • S.5159 — A bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to support microgrids, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 29, 2026)
  • S.5122 — A bill to guarantee the right to vote for all citizens regardless of conviction of a criminal offense, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
  • S.5074 — Enhancing Electric Grid Resilience Act (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
  • S.4995 — Agricultural Worker Justice Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 15, 2026)
  • S.4996 — Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers and Ranchers Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 15, 2026)
  • S.4906 — Milk From Family Dairies Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
  • S.4881 — Unlocking Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic Funding Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
  • S.4912 — BUFFER Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)

Notable votes

  • Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — S. Res. 817 (Resolution Agreed to, Jul 30, 2026)
  • Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. Res. 817 (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jul 29, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on H.R. 6644 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6644 with an Amendment (SA 5823) (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jun 18, 2026)
  • Voted Nay on S. 2 — S. 2, As Amended (Bill Passed, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — Cortez Masto Amdt. No. 5463 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — Padilla Amdt. No. 5808 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — Gallego Amdt. No. 5813 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — Peters Amdt. No. 5763 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)

Recently cosponsored bills (12 on record)

  • S.5184 — A bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish a summer meal delivery vehicle pilot program, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
  • S.5180 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure stability for provider payments under the Medicare program. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
  • S.1289 — 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act (Introduced, Jul 29, 2026)
  • S.4801 — Duty Status Reform Act (Introduced, Jul 28, 2026)
  • S.5108 — A bill to protect and expand nationwide access to assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
  • S.5104 — Fair Seeds for Farmers Act (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
  • S.5121 — A bill to amend chapter 57 of title 28, United States Code, to provide for a code of conduct for justices and judges of the courts of the United States, establish an Ethics Investigations Counsel, and require disclosure of recusals. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
  • S.3981 — BRAVE Burma Act (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)

Voting analysis

Peter Welch is the only Democrat Vermont sends to the Senate, so no state party cohort exists to compare him against and the delegation section is absent rather than improvised. His defections run in both directions, which is less common than it sounds.

7.6%
Votes against the Democrat majority
211
Roll calls where a party majority formed
13 of 45
Rank among Senate Democrats, most defections first

Both ways at once

He voted for passage of one bill against most of his caucus, and against another that the caucus helped carry — then supported a run of amendments to that second bill offered from both sides of the aisle and rejected by the chamber. Supporting a Republican bill and blocking a Democratic compromise in the same record indicates a member voting bill by bill rather than along a consistent axis.

The 10 most recent of 16 roll calls where Peter Welch voted against the Senate Democrat majority.
Roll callDateOutcomeTheir vote
H.R. 7148
H.R. 7148, as Amended
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 7148 · roll call 119		Jan 30, 2026Bill PassedYea (party: Nay)
S. 1071
Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1071
On the Cloture Motion S. 1071 · roll call 119		Dec 15, 2025Cloture Motion Agreed toNay (party: Yea)
S. 2296
S. 2296, as amended
On Passage of the Bill S. 2296 · roll call 119		Oct 9, 2025Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
S. 2296
Sanders Amdt. No. 3853
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3853 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119		Oct 9, 2025Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)
S. 2296
Curtis Amdt. No. 3697
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3697 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119		Oct 9, 2025Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)
S. 2296
Paul Amdt. No. 3761
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3761 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119		Oct 9, 2025Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)
S. 331
S. 331, as amended
On Passage of the Bill S. 331 · roll call 119		Mar 14, 2025Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
S. 331
Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. 331
On the Cloture Motion S. 331 · roll call 119		Mar 13, 2025Cloture Motion Agreed toNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 7888
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 7888 · roll call 118		Apr 19, 2024Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 7888
Lee Amdt No. 1840
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1840 to H.R. 7888 (No short title on file) · roll call 118		Apr 19, 2024Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)

What he legislates on

Agriculture leads his classified filings, which fits a state whose politics is inseparable from dairy and small farms. He is ranking member on an agriculture subcommittee covering rural development, energy and credit. His bills include support for microgrids under the utility regulatory statute, a guarantee of voting rights for citizens regardless of criminal conviction, the Enhancing Electric Grid Resilience Act, the Agricultural Worker Justice Act, and a fairness measure for small-scale farmers. His cosponsorship total is among the highest in the chamber.

Sponsored bills carry the Congressional Research Service's own subject classification. Peter Welch's cluster into: Agriculture and Food (3), Taxation (1).

763
Bills sponsored
5478
Bills cosponsored

Of the 8 most recent of those, 8 currently sit at Introduced.

Tenure and attendance

Counting his long House service, Welch has been in Congress since the mid two-thousands and ranks as a veteran, under one party label. His absence count is modest.

First elected in 2007, now serving across 10 terms. Peter Welch falls in the veteran cohort.

4.1%
Roll calls recorded as not voting
220
Roll calls eligible to vote on
9
Recorded as not voting

By the numbers

In the 119th Congress, Peter Welch has 763 bills sponsored, 5478 cosponsored, 8 recent floor votes recorded.

Committee assignments

  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
  • Senate Committee on Finance
  • Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
  • Senate Committee on the Judiciary
  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology
  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety
  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Rural Development, Energy, and Credit (Ranking Member)
  • Senate Committee on Finance: Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
  • Senate Committee on Finance: Health Care
  • Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights
  • Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights
  • Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Intellectual Property

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