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The bulk of the $7 million retracted from the Vermont Department of Health had been dedicated to collaborative initiatives like making multilingual, educational videos about vaccinations and setting up pediatric vaccine clinics outside regular office hours.

“This is really creating a lot of last-minute chaos,� said Brenda Siegel, executive director of End Homelessness Vermont.

A Central Vermont Medical Center spokesperson told ¿ªÔÆÌåÓý in an email that the hospital remains “committed to reaching an agreement that supports our staff as well as the long-term sustainability of CVMC for our patients and community.â€�

Senators advanced a bill Thursday to study the creation of a statewide Office of New Americans, which would coordinate services for immigrants in Vermont. “Immigrants in Vermont are the fastest-growing working-age demographic � they're vital to our economy and to our future,� said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick, D-Chittenden County, earlier this week. “But the challenges they face are around licensing and education, language barriers.�

The current reimbursement mechanism under Medicare began during the pandemic. Congress extended that pandemic-era coverage once already, in December 2024, but that extension only lasts until March 31, 2025.

According to company spokesperson Joe Shields, keeping the facility open is not cost-effective due to its age and “evolving regulatory requirements.�

Despite historically strong ties, Canadians are canceling trips to Vermont amid President Trump’s threats to institute tariffs on Canadian goods and calls to make our northern neighbor the �51st state.� Plus, the Scott administration presents a plan to adjust the motel housing program after funding disagreements with Democratic lawmakers, Vermont appears to have missed a major climate emissions deadline, a handful of municipalities will consider local option taxes on Town Meeting Day, and Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater is opening a new learning space.

Democratic lawmakers have mixed interest in advancing Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s wide-ranging housing plan, and haven’t offered many of their own proposals to address Vermont’s long-standing unit shortage.

Some of the reasons: rising costs amid climate and health care crises, a desire to reduce property taxes, plus an easier approval process.

Congressional Republicans voted Tuesday night for a House budget resolution that could reduce funding for the health insurance program for people with low incomes and people with disabilities, in order to pay for tax cuts and more military and immigration enforcement spending.