Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 4/25/25-5/2/25
Condemning the Chaos of the First 100 Days of the Trump Administration
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined his Democratic colleagues speaking on the Senate Floor to highlight the chaos and destruction caused during the first 100 days of the Trump Administration.
“This Administration has been cruel, and it has been dumb. It's unmatched for its meanness and stupidity. The harm and hurt done to everyday Americans in real life and real time, the harm in tariffs already having an effect on the uncertainty of business about the future. Their inability to plan, to invest in new manufacturing, and the fear of people that they will be jobless and lose the dignity of work and be hit with higher prices for everything from groceries to gasoline to housing. The harm done in health care already, our federally qualified health centers, deprived of funding—NIH research grants for curing cancer, for diabetes, or hypertension, canceled or frozen. In education, the uncertainty and loss of funding for special education and other programs that benefit children in the neediest and most vulnerable of our districts in rural areas as well as urban. And, of course, the damage to our fundamental freedom, women's reproductive freedom, the suspension of Title X grants, and the assault on women's health care. We live in a time when the rule of law is under threat, perhaps as never before in my lifetime, and the cause of freedom all around the world is in jeopardy,” said Blumenthal.
Blumenthal, the Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, focused his remarks on the harm caused to veterans by budget cuts and staff firings at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Nobody has a stronger right to claim credit for preserving our freedoms in the past and now than our veterans, and they have been betrayed by this Administration. For our veterans, it's been a hundred days of chaos, of cruelty, stupidity, anxiety on their part, and apprehension. A hundred days of decisions made about their health care and their benefits. They were promised health care, they were promised benefits, and now this Administration is breaking those promises,” said Blumenthal. “These first hundred days have been disgraceful and shameful, cruel and dumb, deeply un-American.”
A video of Blumenthal’s full Floor remarks can be found here.
With an accompanying video on Twitter/X, Blumenthal further criticized the Trump Administration’s first 100 days and the harm they have caused the American people.
“Trump’s first 100 days have been defined by chaos. The turmoil & turbulence has caused deep fears about the future of our country. While the harm & hurt done to everyday Americans is devastating & destroying the very fabric of our nation,” wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.
With an accompanying video on Instagram, Blumenthal highlighted his conversation with Connecticut constituents and his commitment to standing against the Trump Administration’s deleterious actions.
“CT residents were loud & clear at my town hall—Trump’s cruel, chaotic policies are only serving himself. I heard outrage & fear from vets, people w/disabilities & young people worried about their future, but also hope & energy that we can beat back this chaos by standing together,” wrote Blumenthal on Instagram.
Advocating for Gun Violence Prevention Measures
Blumenthal joined U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) at a press conference to announce the introduction of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025. The Senators were joined by three youth advocates, including Matt Holden – a survivor of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“The strongest assault weapon ban by any state is no better than the weakest in another state. And that is why we need this national law. A national law will save lives. Keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people—dangerous to themselves because they want to commit suicide, or dangerous to others—and you save lives.” said Blumenthal. “These laws work. They save lives. We ignore that lesson at our peril, but more importantly, at the peril of children and moms and dads and others who are the real victims. And the trauma of assault weapon injuries and deaths is not just individuals who are injured or killed. It is also the trauma of seeing it, of hearing about it, of experiencing it when kids learn or watch it. And that trauma seeps into the consciousness of America and affects all of us.”
A video of Blumenthal’s full remarks can be found here.
On Twitter/X, Blumenthal further highlighted the need to enact legislation to ban assault weapons and combat the scourge of gun violence in our nation.
“Assault weapons bring carnage to our streets & schools. These military-style combat weapons are designed to maximize death & destruction. Guns don’t respect state boundaries, which is why we need the Assault Weapons Ban to restrict the ownership & use of mass shooter’s choice gun,” wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.
Exposing Elon Musk's Conflicts of Interests with Government Power Grab
Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a memo estimating the legal liability Elon Musk may stand to avoid through his efforts to gut the federal workforce and exert influence over federal agencies. PSI’s analysis reveals for the first time that, as of January 2025, Musk and his companies faced at least $2.37 billion in potential liability due to federal investigations, litigation, or other regulatory actions, not including liabilities for at least 25 other federal investigations or regulatory matters where insufficient facts were available to establish cost estimates. PSI’s analysis also did not include other costs associated with federal enforcement, including legal fees and remediation costs, which could account for billions more.
As part of PSI’s ongoing inquiry into Musk and his conflicts of interest, Blumenthal wrote to Musk’s companies, seeking answers about federal investigations, litigation, or other regulatory proceedings involving the companies that were active on or about January 20, 2025, in order to understand what Musk and his companies stand to gain from his role in the federal government.
“Mr. Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) have directed draconian cuts in resources and to the skilled workforce required to do thorough, prompt fact finding and identify statutory or regulatory violations that present harms to the American people. His demonstrated influence over senior leaders has enabled him to terminate or marginalize officials willing to challenge his authority. His threatened retaliation may intimidate many others. DOGE’s nonstop pursuit of our nation’s most sensitive data, coupled with its inability to articulate a clear purpose for doing so, fuels reasonable suspicions that Mr. Musk could use such data to bolster his position. The net result is to dilute, damage, or even stop accountability,” Blumenthal wrote in a letter to Tesla.
Blumenthal continued, “At the outset of this inquiry, the Subcommittee sought information from Tesla and other companies that Mr. Musk founded or over which he continues to substantially control, including the involvement of current or former Tesla employees in government agencies with regulatory authority over Tesla. To date, Tesla has failed to provide satisfactory responses to PSI’s inquiries, and many questions remain about the direct and indirect benefits it may be gaining from Mr. Musk’s actions.”
The full text of the memo is available here. Blumenthal’s letters to Tesla, xAI, Neuralink, SpaceX, and The Boring Company are available here.
On Twitter/X, Blumenthal further slammed Musk’s conflict of interest and his government power grab allowing him to avoid legal fees and penalties.
“BREAKING: DOGE’s reckless attacks on the federal gov't are stopping critical oversight—& no one stands to benefit more than Elon Musk. My PSI memo reveals that, as of Jan. 2025, Musk & his companies faced over $2.37B in potential legal exposure from 11 different gov't agencies. PSI’s memo makes clear that, despite obvious conflicts of interest, Musk’s actions may have allowed him to evade oversight, derail investigations, & make litigation disappear. The net result is to dilute, damage, or even stop accountability. I’ve previously written to Musk’s companies about how they are preventing directly benefiting from Musk’s position. Their responses have been wholly inadequate. Now I’m seeking further answers about their involvement in federal litigation, investigations, & more,” wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.
Fighting Against Efforts to Suppress Voting Rights
Blumenthal spoke on the Senate Floor against the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, Republican-led legislation that poses a serious threat to voting rights in America.
“Of all the rights we have, voting is perhaps the most meaningful and most practiced. It's foundational to all the others. It’s the way we preserve the others. And that's why the fight for voting rights and blood has been spilled in the effort to secure it is a storied bedrock of our American history. And now, again, as there has been throughout our history, there are efforts to suppress that right for political reasons, for political gain—that's what we have in the SAVE Act,” said Blumenthal. “We should not be fooled by this wolf in sheep's clothing, a measure that masquerades as preserving democracy. We should not let our voter rolls be purged by a measure that has false pretenses. We must protect the right of every eligible citizen to vote. The best way to do it is to say no to this bill. I say to the people of Connecticut right here and now, I will fight this bill because it's wrong, because it eviscerates voting rights, and because it threatens our democracy.”
On the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
At a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing focused on examining mental health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Ranking Member Blumenthal stressed the harmful impact the Trump Administration’s cuts and planned firings of 83,000 VA employees will have on delivery of veterans’ mental health care, its workforce, and ongoing efforts to reduce veterans suicide rates.
“The rate of veteran suicide—17.6 a day—is absolutely intolerable,” said Blumenthal during his opening. “…[W]e all know even before the Trump Administration’s crusade against veterans, VA projected a 59 percent increase in inpatient and outpatient mental health care demand in coming years. The Department was already suffering from critical mental health staffing shortages…In his confirmation hearing, the Secretary claimed suicide prevention was a priority. But instead of bolstering access to life-saving mental health, he has fired thousands of critical employees—including Veterans Crisis Line Employees.”
Blumenthal emphasized the failure of this Administration and Secretary Collins to give Congress any rationale for their cuts and planned 83,000 firings at VA, or how the Administration will prevent impacts to mental health care: “We have to make sure the Administration answers our questions…We know from this Committee…that outreach is essential to bring veterans into mental health [services]. We can’t rely only on veterans calling the Crisis Line or calling VA facilities. There has to be outreach. 10 of those 17 per day veterans taking their own lives have had no contact with VA. If we can reach more, we can save more. If we fire counselors and others doing outreach, it will cripple efforts to save veterans from suicide, including the [Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon] Fox Grant Program.”
A video of Blumenthal’s remarks is available here.
With an accompanying video on Twitter/X, Blumenthal further highlighted the need for improving mental health care for veterans as the Trump Administration continues harmful cuts, freezes, and firings at the VA.
“Veteran suicides—17 every day—are absolutely intolerable. The majority receive no outreach from VA. Firing the VA staff responsible for outreach makes no sense—but that’s what VA is doing. Our hearing today should be the impetus for reversing course,” wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.
Blumenthal introduced comprehensive legislation to strengthen and expand veterans’ access to mental health care at the VA. The Senator’s Building Resources and Access for Veterans’ Mental Health Engagement (BRAVE) Act would strengthen VA’s mental health workforce, infrastructure, and services, including renewing the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program—a first-of-its-kind grant providing funding for local organizations combatting veteran suicide.
During the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing focused on examining mental health care at VA, Blumenthal and the Committee heard firsthand from veterans about the success of the life-saving Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. The Committee also considered Blumenthal’s BRAVE Act provision to reauthorize this program during the hearing.
“The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program has been a game-changer for so many veterans,” said Ranking Blumenthal during the hearing. “It’s geared towards meeting veterans where they are, providing access to services from trusted community partners, and targeting underserved communities…The rate of veteran suicide—17.6 a day—is absolutely intolerable…My bill on today’s agenda, the BRAVE Act, reauthorizes the Fox program, but it goes farther. And I hope we’ll have bipartisan support to ensure not only this program – but others to address these issues are [preserved].”
The full text of the legislation can be found here.
Blumenthal Bulletin
Blumenthal demanded answers on troubling Customs and Border Protection tactics.
Blumenthal introduced bipartisan legislation to hold animal abusers accountable.
Blumenthal introduced bipartisan legislation to eliminate red tape from trucking apprenticeship programs for veterans.
Blumenthal announced a bill to help veterans keep their homes and to replace cancelled Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase Program.
Blumenthal called on President Trump to reinstate Biden appointees to Holocaust Museum board.
Blumenthal urged President Trump to use the U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal as a stepping stone to real commitments to a prosperous, free Ukraine.
Blumenthal celebrated a major contract award for Connecticut’s Electric Boat.
Blumenthal highlighted the need for his bill imposing stronger anti-Russian sanctions.
Blumenthal slammed chaos from the Pentagon as Mike Waltz steps down from his post as National Security Advisor.
Blumenthal highlighted the need for a federal inquiry into the firearm industry’s secret sharing of customer data.
Blumenthal attended a press conference to stand against rising hate crimes and antisemitism in Connecticut.
Blumenthal attended the Denise D’Ascenzo Foundation Walk.
Blumenthal attended the Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders annual gala.
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