by Wade Holt

Vermonters expect their elected officials to represent them diligently, especially when Congress is in session. Yet too often, it appears our senior senator, Bernie Sanders, is focused elsewhere.

Last week, while the U.S. Senate was conducting business in Washington, Senator Sanders was not present to represent Vermont. Instead, he was in California advocating for a proposed tax increase on the wealthy — a cause he frequently champions, but one that has no direct connection to Vermont’s immediate needs. Vermonters are entitled to ask why their senator prioritizes national political activism over showing up for the job he was elected to do.

This is not an isolated incident. Senator Sanders routinely travels the country promoting his ideological agenda, often appearing at rallies and events far from Vermont. In 2025, he joined Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on a nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy” tour that crisscrossed the United States. Federal campaign-finance filings show that this tour alone resulted in more than $550,000 in campaign spending on private jet travel.

While these expenditures were made using campaign funds rather than taxpayer dollars, they raise a legitimate question: why are funds raised from Vermonters for a Vermont Senate campaign being used to finance a national political tour — particularly on days when the Senate was in session?

Campaign travel is not inherently improper. But representation requires presence. Vermonters do not send a senator to Washington so he can spend weeks at a time on the road promoting ideological causes in other states. They send him to legislate, vote, and advocate for Vermont’s interests.

Senator Sanders openly identifies as a democratic socialist and regularly criticizes capitalism. Yet his personal success within the very system he condemns invites scrutiny. He is a multimillionaire who owns three homes, while many Vermonters struggle to afford even one.

Senator Sanders often urges others to give more for the common good. Given Vermont’s visible homelessness crisis, it is reasonable to ask whether leaders who advocate sacrifice should also demonstrate it personally — especially when they possess resources far beyond what most Vermonters will ever have.

History offers sobering lessons about socialism. As former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once observed, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” Nations that have embraced socialist economic policies — Venezuela being a stark example — have experienced devastating economic collapse, shortages, and widespread poverty. These outcomes are not theoretical; they are well documented.

Vermonters deserve a senator who is focused on Vermont — not one who uses the office as a platform for a national ideological crusade. Senator Sanders should decide whom he intends to represent: the people of this state, or the political movement he has spent a lifetime promoting.

Public service is not a speaking tour. It is a job. And Vermonters have every right to ask whether they are getting their money’s worth.