Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 9/19/2025-9/26/2025

Fighting for Affordable, Quality Health Care

[Hartford, CT] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined Congressman John Larson (D-CT) and advocates in East Hartford to demand that any continuing resolution passed by Congress include provisions to restore funding to Medicaid and make permanent the Affordable Care Act health care subsidies that hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents rely on. Democrats released a plan last Wednesday to avoid a government shutdown and the incoming Republican health care crisis by reversing the catastrophic cuts. The plan was blocked by Congressional Republicans-jeopardizing thousands of Connecticut residents' health care and raising the chances of a government shutdown at the end of the month.

"We cannot agree to a temporary government funding proposal that leaves Americans without proper health care insurance, and makes health care unaffordable for people who will potentially become sick," said Blumenthal. "We can't wait-because people are going to begin making decisions about their healthcare insurance on Nov. 1. And a continuing resolution, or temporary funding measure, that goes until Nov. 21 will leave them totally uncertain for the rest of the year."

Blumenthal further called for protections to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act tax credits in a government funding proposal on Twitter/X.

"People in CT are about to lose their coverage & health care costs will skyrocket if the Republican budget bill passes. Democrats won't stand by as Americans' basic health care continues to be ignored. We'll fight to reverse Medicaid cuts & restore premium tax credits," wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal stood with doctors, vaccine experts and researchers in New Haven to demand that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stop the spread of vaccine misinformation and reverse devastating cuts to research funding and changes to vaccine recommendations. Earlier this month, Blumenthal sent a letter to RFK Jr., reprimanding his anti-vaccine rhetoric and demanding that he reverse his decision to cancel grants funding the research and development of mRNA vaccines.

"Proud to stand with doctors, vaccine experts & researchers to demand Sec. Kennedy stop the spread of vaccine misinformation & reverse devastating cuts to research funding. Vaccines are safe & effective. They can save lives," wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, released a statement following a letter penned by nearly seventy active Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors stressing their urgent concerns that the Trump Administration's cuts, firings, and other cost-cutting workforce directives are damaging VA's health care system and will "negatively affect the lives of all veterans."

"Courageously and powerfully, VA physicians are sounding an alarm-in fact, a five alarm fire-on devastating damage to VA health care as a result of this Administration's funding cuts, contract cancellations, and personnel firings. Their warnings, made at great personal risk, need to be heeded. I've sounded a similar alarm for months, but these professionals have expert firsthand knowledge of how Collins's cruel, reckless missteps are threatening and degrading VA health care."

Holding Capitulating Big Law Firms Accountable

Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, along with U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed top law firms for information regarding pro bono legal services they are providing to President Trump's pet causes after the firms submitted to the Trump Administration's threats of unlawful and unconstitutional Executive Orders and sham investigations.

Blumenthal, Raskin, and Schiff wrote to Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Weiss); Kirkland & Ellis, LLP (Kirkland); and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Skadden Arps) following reports that the firms are providing legal services on "a range of matters" for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Blumenthal and Raskin had previously written to each of the firms seeking details about the deals struck with President Trump, including information about all requests for pro bono services the firms received from the White House.

"Your previous response of April 14, 2025, failed to provide any of the requested records or information vital to our Committees' understanding of why your law firm promised $40 million in pro bono legal services to causes hand-picked by President Trump, clarifying only that you had agreed to dedicate '$40 million in pro bono services over the next four years to assist our nation's veterans, combat anti-Semitism, and promote the fairness of the justice system,'" the Members wrote in a letter to Paul Weiss Chairman Brad S. Karp.

The Members raised concerns that Paul Weiss's work for the Commerce Department suggests that the Trump Administration is continuing to coerce firms into providing legal services outside the terms of the agreements the firms had previously described, "Now, just months after striking a deal with the Administration, Paul Weiss is reportedly providing free legal services on 'a range of matters' to the U.S. Department of Commerce…Paul Weiss's work for the Commerce Department clearly falls outside of the scope of the deal you previously described-aiding veterans, combatting anti-Semitism, and promoting fairness in the justice system-suggesting that the Administration's coercion of your law firm may be ongoing and escalating."

The full text of Blumenthal, Raskin, and Schiff's letter to Paul Weiss is available here. Similar letters were sent to Kirkland and Skadden Arps.

Bolstering Support for Ukraine's Fight Against Russia's Invasion

Blumenthal along with U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The meeting was joined by U.S. Representatives Joe Wilson (R-SC), Young Kim (R-CA) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY). Following the meeting, the senators released the following statement:

"Our bipartisan meeting with President Zelenskyy was encouraging. We discussed the importance of strengthening sanctions against both Russia and those that support Moscow's illegal invasion. President Zelenskyy particularly emphasized the importance of drone warfare, the challenges posed by rapidly advancing technology, and the need for greater production. He also stressed the need for continued expansion of air defense capabilities. President Zelenskyy shared the positive developments that came from his conversation with President Trump and that he had also held encouraging meetings throughout the week, culminating in his speech yesterday. We are eager to continue working with our Republican colleagues to support Ukraine at this critical juncture."

Blumenthal also highlighted his meeting with Zelenskyy and called for increased support for Ukraine on Twitter/X.

"Upbeat, encouraging meeting with President Zelenskyy after his historic U.N. speech & positive conversation yesterday with President Trump. Ukraine at a critical turning point urgently needs our support, both military & economic," wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal also joined CNN's Jake Tapper to discuss his meeting with Zelenskyy and the critical importance of passing his bill with Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) imposing bone-crushing sanctions on Russia.

"I think everybody recognizes there has been a seismic shift in President Trump's stance on Ukraine. But rather than arguing about whether there's been a change or not, what's encouraging and very positive and reaffirmed in my meeting with President Zelensky just now is that it offers tremendous promise that the United States will continue to sell arms to NATO countries, who can then transfer them to Ukraine, and also continue to provide intelligence, which is so critical and hopefully support the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill that will stop the flow of revenue from China and India and Brazil buying Russian oil and gas and fueling that war machine," said Blumenthal. "Russia will simply be crippled economically if its revenue sources are denied. And that's the purpose of the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill."

A video of the interview is available here.

Slamming FAA for Inadequate Fine Against Boeing

Blumenthal demanded answers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the agency's proposed $3.1 million fine against Boeing for persistent safety violations in the months leading up to the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 door plug accident. Earlier this month, the FAA announced the fine due to "hundreds of quality system violations" at Boeing facilities, Boeing presenting two unworthy aircraft for certification, and a Boeing employee pressuring an FAA-authorized unit member to sign off on a 737-MAX simply to meet delivery deadlines. Given these severe safety violations and the FAA's modest fine against Boeing, Blumenthal is seeking transparency from the agency about its enforcement approach.

"These violations confirm what I and others have warned for months: Boeing's deeply broken safety culture has prioritized production speed over safety," Blumenthal wrote. "Yet the FAA's proposed fine-$3.1 million-is little more than a rounding error for Boeing. The company generated nearly $39 billion in revenue just in the two quarters overlapping the time period of the violations. For Boeing, such fines are easily absorbed as the cost of doing business, not a meaningful deterrent to dangerous behavior."

As the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Blumenthal has led an inquiry into Boeing's quality and safety practices and culture. The inquiry has revealed concerning safety lapses at Boeing, including mismanagement of aircraft parts that are damaged or otherwise out of specification and manufacturing employees feeling pressured to prioritize speed over production quality.

The full text of Blumenthal's letter is available here.

Blumenthal Bulletin

Blumenthal released a statement following a U.S. District Court issued preliminary injunction blocking the Revolution Wind stop work order.

Blumenthal released a statement on the $5.7 million for Submarine Base New London infrastructure improvements.

Blumenthal joined MSNBC to discuss the indictment of Former FBI Director James Comey.

Blumenthal slammed the Trump Administration for its crackdown on dissent and silencing of critics.

Blumenthal attended the Orange Country Fair.

Blumenthal attended Hamden's Veterans Monument unveiling.

Blumenthal joined the Albanian American community in welcoming President Osmani of Kosovo to Waterbury.

Blumenthal joined the Yale CEO Forum.

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