Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 1/23/2026-1/30/2026

Honoring VA Nurse Killed by ICE in Minneapolis

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, released a statement on the killing of Alex Pretti, a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Intensive Care Unit nurse who worked at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.

"I am deeply saddened and outraged by the tragic death of Alex Pretti- a VA nurse who served Minnesota veterans in one of the most demanding VA health care jobs. He loved his job, his family, and his country. He was on the streets of Minneapolis Saturday morning peacefully protesting brutal, illegal ICE policies. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and coworkers at this painful moment. Alex's service at VA deserves to be honored and elevated.

"Congress must demand an independent investigation immediately. We need bipartisan calls for justice-now."

At a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing, Ranking Member Blumenthal took a moment to remember and honor the life and service of Alex Pretti.

"Alex Pretti loved his job. He loved his family. He loved his country. At today's Veterans' Affairs hearing with Sec. Collins, I took a moment to recognize & honor Alex's legacy," wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Demanding Total ICE Overhaul to Stop Violence & Lawlessness

At a press conference in Hartford on Monday, Blumenthal demand accountability from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the killing of Alex Pretti.

"Some basic, clear, straightforward reforms-such as requiring body cameras and visible identification, protections of individuals in sensitive spaces, elimination of street sweeps and indiscriminate mass arrests, requirements for visible identification and a legal recourse for individuals who are harmed by wrongdoing, civil action, redress in courts. These kinds of basic protections of civil rights and civil liberties are mandatory-absolutely required-at this point in our history, because the pattern of violations of rights comes from the top. Last week, I revealed a secret memo from the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, that authorized ICE agents to kick down doors and storm into homes, terrorize children, ransack living rooms and bedrooms, arrest and detain individuals-all without a judicial warrant. The pattern of abuse is sickening," said Blumenthal at the press conference.

Blumenthal further called for a stop to ICE's lawlessness and brutal tactics on Twitter/X.

"ICE's lawless violence must be stopped. Republicans should join in restraining this out of control agency. A moral moment for all America. Sweeping reforms that stop these abuses are absolutely necessary in the DHS funding bill," wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal also demanded accountability from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and called for her removal from her position on Twitter/X.

"Noem needs to go. Resign. Be fired. Or be impeached. Her craven lies, complicity in lethal lawless violence, & corrupt mismanagement-& much more-have totally disgraced & discredited her. Steps to impeach should begin immediately," wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

On the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee

After multiple requests from Congress for information and months of stonewalling from the Trump Administration, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Blumenthal demanded data from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins at a Committee oversight hearing.

Blumenthal started his questioning by pressing the Secretary for a full accounting of $6 billion VA was given to spend on health care costs, which was reportedly instead used to cover the cost of cuts in staff-including the Administration's deferred resignation program and voluntary early retirements: "Can you provide this Committee with a full accounting of the six billion dollars, which I think is very important because apparently it was used to push out essential VA health care providers-rather than sustaining VA medical operations as intended?...[R]ather than going into the rhetoric-I want the numbers."

Blumenthal continued by asking for information surrounding VA's staffing losses under the Trump Administration: "Talking about numbers, my understanding is that more than 40,000 employees have left the VA since last January. Can you provide this Committee with a detailed, updated workforce compilation of data? The number of staff who have left VA since January 2025, broken down by facility and position? And the list of positions and vacancies each facility plans to cut based on the caps you set late last year?...I want numbers…I want the breakdown. We've asked for it repeatedly, sir. We have not received it. I'm asking again in this forum-I shouldn't have to do so."

The hearing follows Blumenthal's release last week of a comprehensive report, Breaking the Pact: Impacts of Trump, DOGE, and Doug Collins' Ongoing Assault on Veterans, detailing the harm and impacts of the Trump Administration's draconian directives and cuts on veterans. Among its many findings, the report revealed a historic loss of staff, dire health care staffing shortages, and spiking VA mental health care wait times. Based on these findings, Blumenthal asked Secretary Collins for updated facility-by-facility data for wait times on mental health care access-noting that his data shows nearly one-third of states have wait times for new patients exceeding 40 days.

The video of Blumenthal's remarks at the hearing is available here.

Blumenthal further demanded answers from Collins on Twitter/X.

"Facts about VA job cuts. Facts about VA mental health care delays. Facts about $6 billion in misallocated VA funding. Today, Sec. Collins made commitments to releasing the data that his agency has withheld for far too long," wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal Bulletin

Blumenthal introduced a Congressional Review Act Resolution to overturn the Trump Administration's rule ending life-saving abortion care for veterans.

Blumenthal honored International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Blumenthal slammed social media posts from the Trump Administration for echoing white supremacist messaging.

Blumenthal called for accountability from the FAA after the National Transportation Safety Board found that the deadly collision above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last January was preventable.

Blumenthal celebrated more than $250 million in improvements for Bradley International Airport.

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