Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 9/26/2025-10/3/2025

Slamming the Republican Shutdown Over Devastating Health Care Cuts

[WASHINGTON, DC] – As of October 1st, 2025, the federal government has shut down. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) voted to keep the government open while lowering health care costs for the people of Connecticut, but the Republican-controlled Congress rejected that bill. Blumenthal is working with his colleagues to reopen the government.

To help Americans navigate the effects of the government shutdown, Blumenthal shared resources online in an effort to provide support and clarity—including a frequently asked questions page and a page to request assistance with a federal agency.

Blumenthal spoke on the Senate Floor ahead of the deadline to fund the government to demand Republicans join Democrats in taking action to prevent the looming health care crisis by extending the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits that have made health care more affordable for tens of millions of Americans, including thousands of Connecticut residents.

“And our Republican colleagues…say there’s no hurry. Well, Americans can't get sick on Donald Trump's timetable. When people are told there's ‘no hurry’ if you get sick for medical care, that sounds cruel because it is cruel – and it's stupid,” Blumenthal said on the Senate Floor.

“At the end of the day, it's a choice. Do we choose a highly successful solution that has reduced health care costs for the whole nation, or do we allow the clock to run out and raise health care costs for families in every state in this country?”

Ahead of the deadline to fund the government, Democrats proposed a plan to avoid a government shutdown and the looming Republican health care crisis by reversing Republicans’ catastrophic cuts to critical health care programs, including extending the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits. Since blocking the plan, the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans have refused to negotiate in good faith with Democrats to address this crisis.

A video of Blumenthal’s speech is available here.

On Twitter/X, Blumenthal slammed Congressional Republicans for shutting down the government instead of working with Democrats to protect Americans’ access to affordable health care.

“Republicans shut down the government to protect cuts to health care. They are refusing to reverse these cuts to stop people’s premiums from skyrocketing,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Fighting to Protect Americans’ Access to Health Care

Ahead of the government shutdown, Blumenthal spoke at a public forum entitled, “The Clock is Ticking: Why Congress Must Extend the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits.” Blumenthal emphasized the impact Republicans’ refusal to preserve and extend the enhanced premium tax credits will have on people’s ability to access affordable health care.

“You know, I’m always struck in this building by how human problems and impacts can be reduced to abstract statistics. And for anyone who has gone to health clinics as I have done as recently as just a few days ago to renew my sense of reality, there are real human costs in children suffering, pain that is caused people, when you have an illness, there’s a physical pain, there’s a mental anxiety, and often people fail to get treatment because they think they can save money—and the illness gets worse and more costly, and people wind up in emergency rooms,” Blumenthal said.

A video of Blumenthal’s remarks can be found here.

Blumenthal further called out Republicans for their refusal to protect Americans’ health care on Twitter/X.

“Republicans’ failure to extend ACA premium tax credits is cruel & stupid. Without it, all Americans will bear the burden of higher costs & a strained health care system,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal also held a press conference ahead of the government shutdown in Hartford to discuss the impact of the shutdown on Connecticut and on Connecticut residents’ health care.

“There are a couple of very simple, straightforward conditions that the Democrats are demanding, and Republicans have been refusing to negotiate,” Blumenthal said. “The health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act expire at the end of the year. Open enrollment begins in Connecticut on November 1. People need to know whether they can afford health insurance before they enroll. Without the subsidies they will pay, on average, 75% more for health care.”

Blumenthal spoke on the Senate Floor on Monday evening calling for the extension of ACA premium tax credits and reversal of cuts to Medicaid.

“Nothing is more important than health, and we are saving health care for the American people by insisting that this extension of government funding include a reversal of the cruel and stupid Big, Blatant Betrayal—it's not a Big, Beautiful Bill—the Big, Blatant Betrayal that failed to extend those health care subsidies, and insists that whatever the bill that is passed be obeyed by the president,” said Blumenthal. “The ACA premium tax credits have protected millions of Americans from those higher health care costs, and they have reduced the number of Americans without health insurance coverage.”

Blumenthal further highlighted the impact of the Republican health care crisis on Connecticut residents in his Floor remarks.

“And I say to my constituents in Connecticut, we're going to stand up for you, to save your health care, because you can't wait to get sick. You don't choose to get sick on November 22 or January 3 when it's convenient for Donald Trump and the Republican majority,” said Blumenthal. “You need to know when there's open enrollment, on November 1, whether or not your insurance will be affordable for you. You need to know whether those subsidies will make it affordable for you. Because, otherwise you won't be able to buy insurance through the ACA. In fact, 90% of all people in Connecticut who buy insurance through the ACA marketplace receive some kind of subsidy, and their insurance premiums will skyrocket by 75%, if that subsidy is ended. They need to know now, when open enrollment starts, whether those subsidies will be there for them. And it will affect insurance premiums for everyone, if we fail to extend those subsidies as part of this continuing resolution now.”

A video of Blumenthal’s Floor remarks can be found here.

Blumenthal Bulletin

Blumenthal held a spotlight forum on the Trump Administration’s attacks on a free and independent press.

Blumenthal announced legislation to protect against political prosecutions.

Blumenthal cosponsored a bill to combat voter suppression and intimidation.

Blumenthal pushed the Trump Administration to investigate Tesla’s self-driving technology following road safety incidents.

Blumenthal applauded the $10.3 billion contract awarded to Sikorsky.

Blumenthal visited Park Ridge residents as they protest the poor conditions at their New Haven apartment complex.

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