Sep 18, 2025Sponsored
Medicare for All Act of 2025
Single-payer federal health insurance replacing private coverage.1
IndependentVermont · U.S. Senator
Bernie
Sanders
U.S. Senator for Vermont · Caucuses with Democrats
In office
19 yrsSince Jan 2007
Next election
2031Re-elected 2025
Age
84Born Sep 8, 1941
Party
Indep.Caucuses with Dems
What they stand for
Sanders has spent years focused on a few core fights. Each is tied to bills actually introduced or votes actually cast.
- 01Medicare for AllSanders has reintroduced the Medicare for All Act every Congress since 2017. It would replace private health insurance with a single federal payer covering every American from birth.1
- 02Tax the billionairesHe has introduced legislation proposing a wealth tax on fortunes above $32 million and repeatedly argued in floor speeches that billionaires should not exist as a class.2
- 03Paid family and medical leaveThe U.S. is the only wealthy country without federal paid leave. Sanders has pushed for 12 weeks of guaranteed paid leave, funded through employer payroll contributions.3
- 04Moratorium on AI job replacementIn 2025 he proposed a temporary federal moratorium on AI systems that displace workers without retraining protections, framed around documented layoffs in logistics and customer service.4
- 05Wealth inequality as core issueAcross nearly every floor speech and interview, Sanders returns to the gap between the top 1% and everyone else. It's the organizing frame of his entire career.5
Keep scrolling for the record, votes, and contact info
01 · Background
Who they are, where they came from
Born in Brooklyn in 1941, Bernard Sanders moved to Vermont in 1964 after brief stints at Brooklyn College and the University of Chicago, where he earned a political science degree and first organized around civil rights. He worked as a carpenter, documentary filmmaker, and writer through the 1970s before entering politics. Sanders served as mayor of Burlington from 1981 to 1989 after winning the race by 10 votes, then as Vermont's at-large U.S. Representative from 1991 to 2007. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and has served there ever since, caucusing with the Democrats despite his formal Independent affiliation. He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020.
02 · Where they focus
What they spend their time on
Based on bills personally introduced, concentration falls in these areas:
Healthcare22%Economic inequality18%Climate14%Labor12%Veterans9%
03 · Recent significant work
What they’ve done lately
Jul 24, 2025Sponsored
For the 99.5 Percent Act
Wealth tax on estates above $3.5 million.2
Jun 12, 2025Voted yes
Border Security and Appropriations Act
Voted yes on border security appropriations — a departure from his 2018-2020 positions on ICE and enforcement funding.
Apr 3, 2025Voted no
Defense Authorization Amendment
Voted no on an amendment expanding defense contractor authority.
Mar 19, 2026Sponsored
A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to the Government of Israel of certain defense articles and services.
Summary not yet generated.
04 · On the record
Notable moments
Public, documented events from their career — both notable accomplishments and notable controversies.
2024
Won a fourth term in the U.S. Senate with 63% of the Vermont vote.6
2020
Suspended his second presidential campaign after losing delegate math to Joe Biden; won 10 state primaries and caucuses.7
2016
Lost the Democratic presidential primary to Hillary Clinton, winning 22 states and 43% of pledged delegates.8
2014
Co-authored the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act with John McCain, responding to a VA scheduling scandal. Signed into law.9
2007
Sworn in as U.S. Senator from Vermont after winning the 2006 general election with 65% of the vote.10
05 · Money
Where the campaign funds come from
Sanders raised $23M this cycle, with 95.7% of receipts from individuals; unitemized contributions account for 74.5% of individual giving. No PAC contributors were recorded. Top employer concentrations include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Meta. Outside spending of $1.7M opposed Sanders in independent expenditures, entirely from Future45 across seven expenditures.
Total raised · 2026
$23.5M
Cash on hand
$22.9M
Spent
$11.3M
By source
- Individuals$22.5M · 95.7%
- PACs$27 · 0.0%
- Other$902K · 3.8%
Individual donor mix
Small-donor share (under $200)74.5%
Top employer concentrations
- GOOGLE$13K· 141 donors
- AMAZON$8K· 62 donors
- MICROSOFT$8K· 55 donors
- USERNODE LABS AG$8K· 3 donors
- NVIDIA CORPORATION$7K· 6 donors
- KAISER PERMANENTE$6K· 68 donors
- KNOX EQUITY LLC$6K· 7 donors
- NVIDIA$6K· 18 donors
- META$6K· 37 donors
- UC SANTA CRUZ$5K· 8 donors
Self-reported employer data. Categories like “Retired” and “Not Employed” are excluded — these reflect demographic patterns rather than industry concentrations.
Outside spending · 2018
Opposing Sanders
- FUTURE45FEC ↗$1.7M
Independent expenditures from super PACs and other groups, separate from contributions to the candidate’s own campaign. These committees may not coordinate with the campaign.
06 · Committees
Where they have direct influence
Current assignments:
- Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsRanking Member
- BudgetMember
- Environment and Public WorksMember
- FinanceMember
- Veterans' AffairsMember
Every claim on this page links to a public source. We don’t tell you whether Bernie Sanders is a good or bad senator— that’s your call. We just make the facts easy to find.