Senator Blumenthal Week In Review 03/11/2022—03/18/2022
LEGISLATION, LETTERS, & STATEMENTS
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rob Portman (R-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) traveled to Poland last weekend where they met with Polish officials and visited refugee sites to reaffirm the U.S.’ commitment to Poland, Ukraine, and other allies in response to President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Blumenthal detailed his trip in a series of tweets:
“Visiting our embassy here in Poland, I’m impressed with how our skilled Ambassador Mark Brzezinski is working ably to assure that we & our NATO allies are solidly united in support of Ukraine. Our standing strong together is Putin’s worst nightmare.”
“Amazingly important & impressive service by the Army’s 82nd Airborne in Rzeszów near the Poland-Ukraine border—who are standing ready to defend our NATO allies while assisting refugees & Ukraine in its fight for freedom in the face of Russia’s invasion. All Americans should be proud.”
“Proud & excited to have dinner on base in Rzeszów with some of CT’s heroes—first lieutenants of the 82nd Airborne from our great state serving a critical mission near Poland’s border with Ukraine. Thanks to their families too.”
“Women & children fleeing in fear—telling us of Russian bombs earlier this morning, just 15 miles from the Poland-Ukraine border crossing. At least 35 were killed, many more injured, destroyed homes & hope,” Blumenthal said in a video.
“I’m hearing gut-wrenching stories at the Poland/Ukraine border. Women & children fleeing Russian bombs that leave death & destruction in their wake. “Nowhere is safe,” a weeping mother told me. Terror & grief are in their faces & voices.”
“Honored to join World Central Kitchen to help serve refugees at the reception center near the Ukrainian border—easing misery & satiating hunger. Chef José Andrés & his team are heroes with hearty, wholesome food, aiding those who need this comfort the most.”
“Our meeting with Poland’s defense minister yielded a clear message: we are unshakably united in strong support for Ukraine—especially in bolstering its air defense against Putin’s merciless onslaught. The bombing just miles from Poland’s border confirms how close Putin is coming to Poland & NATO.”
Following his visit, Blumenthal delivered remarks on the Senate Floor and urged more action to support Ukraine, including passage of two bipartisan measures he is introducing with colleagues to send a strong message to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“If the Ukrainian people have a fair fight on the ground, they will win. They will drive Russia out of their precious land. But right now there is no fair fight. Right now in the skies Putin dominates,” said Blumenthal, urging more action to help Ukrainian fighters. “We must make sure that Ukraine stays in that fight, and we can do it if we raise our commitment. I appreciate what the administration has done in its skillful use of public intelligence, its uniting of our allies, its adroit rallying of America, but now is the time to do more, and it must be done urgently. The time is now.”
“The longer we allow Putin to command the skies in the way that he does now, the longer innocent people will be slaughtered in their homes, in hospitals, in maternity wards, and the longer the world is put at risk of another attack on a nuclear facility that could spread contamination throughout the world and even throughout Europe. The trauma and terror on the faces of those women and children, the tears that we saw will stay with me forever.”
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reacted to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy’s address to Congress.
“President Zelenskyy’s speech must spur more support for Ukraine’s air defense. Ukrainian freedom fighters can defeat Putin’s savage invasion if they have a fair fight on the ground, with protection from punishing, pummeling Russian attacks from the skies.”
“My trip to Poland last weekend confirmed the urgency of hugely expanded air defense aid. Senators Portman, Wicker, & I urged bipartisan support last night on the Senate floor.”
“Respond to Zelenskyy’s plea today with action, not just more words—more anti tank & anti aircraft missiles, anti air batteries, drones, planes, & more to fight Russia’s bombing reign of terror. Every day matters, as Ukraine bravely struggles for survival. Act now.”
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the state of competition in the market for live entertainment, including potential violations of Ticketmaster-Live Nation’s updated consent decree. As live events continue to open up, American consumers are confronting skyrocketing ticket prices, opaque terms, and exorbitant fees. Yet live entertainment markets, especially ticket markets, are dominated by one corporation, Live Nation, which cemented its dominance through its 2010 merger with Ticketmaster.
“We write to urge the Department to investigate the state of competition in the live entertainment and ticketing industry, including any potential anticompetitive and anti-consumer actions by Live Nation, and to take action, as appropriate, to enforce the antitrust laws and restore competition to these important markets,” wrote Blumenthal and Klobuchar to DOJ Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division Jonathan Kanter. “We are deeply concerned that the Department’s past enforcement and negotiated remedies in this industry have failed to adequately foster and protect competition in live entertainment and ticketing markets.”
Blumenthal and Klobuchar stressed the aggressive practices used by Live Nation in restricting competition, writing:
“Industry participants have long complained about Live Nation leveraging its powerful market positions in ticketing, event promotion, sponsorship and advertising, artist management, and performance venue bookings to advantage its affiliate businesses up and down the entertainment value chain. To bolster its market power, Live Nation has engaged in an aggressive acquisition strategy to buy vertical competitors, including companies in the music festival and concert promoter markets.”
DOJ is responsible for enforcing the consent decree that cleared the way for the merger of the companies. After reports of Live Nation’s repeat violations of the original consent decree and following Blumenthal and Klobuchar’s inquiry into the manner in 2019, DOJ obtained an updated consent decree in 2020. Recent reports indicate that Ticketmaster-Live Nation has continued charging consumers exorbitant fees, and the company’s ongoing aggressive buy-outs of potential competitors to even further dominate the market are renewing concerns about the state of the industry.
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, called on Facebook Marketplace to ensure deadly recalled products are not listed and sold on the platform. In a damning investigation, USA Today revealed that many recalled products—including the deadly Fisher-Price Rock ‛n Play Sleeper—are frequently found on Facebook Marketplace despite being recalled. The Rock ‛n Play Sleeper, recalled in 2019, has been linked to the deaths of nearly 100 infants, with at least 8 deaths occurring after the product was recalled.
“Meta has a moral obligation to its users to prevent, monitor, and remove these dangerous listings from its platform, and make it easier for users to do the same; Meta’s continued failure to do so indicates a remarkable dereliction of duty by your company on behalf of your users,” wrote Blumenthal and Schakowsky to Facebook Marketplace parent company Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“We expect that you fully understand the danger of a recalled product ending up in an unwitting family’s home. Recalled products can cause injury or even death,” stressed Blumenthal and Schakowsky. “Meta has an ability to be a partner with the CPSC, and manufacturers facing recalls, in the fight to protect children from dangerous and deadly products, and we hope that Meta will heed this call.”
Blumenthal and Schakowsky also wrote to Fisher-Price, demanding answers about the company’s deficient recall efforts around the Rock ‛n Play Sleeper and calling on the company to urgently act to notify the public about this hazard.
“It is clear that Fisher-Price may have underinvested in recall efforts and continued to pursue messaging to confuse parents and caregivers,” wrote the lawmakers to Fisher-Price parent company Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz. “We write today to request information on the efforts that your company has taken to notify consumers of the recall—and remove Rock ‛n Plays from homes and the market. It is clear from your own data that more needs to be done to protect your consumers.”
The text of the letter to Meta is available here and the text of the letter to Mattel is available here.
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) applauded the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Safe Connections Act, bipartisan legislation that will help survivors of domestic violence and other crimes cut ties with their abusers and separate from shared wireless service plans, which can be exploited to monitor, stalk, or control victims. Blumenthal was an original cosponsor of the legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Deb Fischer (R-NE).
“The Senate’s passage of this important measure is a significant breakthrough for survivors of domestic violence,” said Blumenthal. “Wireless service plans can be a vital lifeline by allowing victims to communicate with family, friends, and critical support services, but shared plans often let abusers control or cut off communication. The Safe Connections Act will help protect the safety and privacy of survivors of domestic violence, and empower them to cut ties with their abusers. I’m proud to have championed this effort in the Senate and urge swift action by the House so we can save lives in Connecticut and across the country.”
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the bipartisan Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act, to enable the seizure and sale of Russian oligarchs’ assets to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. The funds derived from seizure and sale of oligarch assets would go toward post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine, humanitarian assistance, military assistance for the armed forces of Ukraine, supporting refugees and their resettlement, or technology and services to ensure the free flow of information to the Ukrainian people.
“This bill cracks down on the chief beneficiaries and enablers of Putin’s cruel and corrupt kleptocracy as he savagely invades Ukraine. As their assets are seized around the world, these ill-gotten profits can be used to support Ukrainian freedom fighters against Putin’s cruel war machine,” said Blumenthal. “We should seize their super yachts, jets, mansions, penthouses, and other luxury possessions. The people of Ukraine need our support now more than ever. I’m proud to join Senators Whitehouse, Graham, and Wicker in this bipartisan effort.”
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a resolution to urge the President in consultation with our allies to immediately remove Russia from specialized financial messaging services including the SWIFT banking system, and impose full sanctions on Russia’s Central Bank.
“We must send this message to the President: halt Russia’s selling oil and gas on Western markets. Access to financial institutions enables Russia to collect oil and gas sales money – it is Putin’s economic lifeblood. The Administration rightly banned imports of Russian gas and oil into the United States, but now we must work with our allies to stop these banks from facilitating sales to other markets. Putin and his cronies should know that Russia's unprovoked, brutal invasion of Ukraine will not go unpunished. I'm proud to join Senator Blackburn in this bipartisan effort of support to Ukraine,” said Blumenthal.
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of more than 100 of their colleagues in a letter that reiterates ongoing concerns and urges the IRS to provide much needed relief as the agency struggles to address customer service and processing issues. The IRS’s lack of action is causing unnecessary confusion, as the current tax filing season is underway.
“We remain concerned that the IRS does not have a comprehensive plan to remedy the numerous problems affecting taxpayers, despite the fact that this filing season is already well underway,” wrote the lawmakers to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig. “For example, there is continued confusion about which notices may be unilaterally suspended by the IRS, beyond the notices the IRS has already suspended, among other issues.”
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined U.S. Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), and Sanford D. Bishop (D-GA) in introducing legislation to improve and expand upon the federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grant, which has been a key driver for the growth of magnet schools. More than 3.5 million students attend magnet schools nationwide, but as school districts become increasingly segregated by race and income, the Magnet Schools Accessibility, Growth, and Nonexclusionary Enrollment Transformation (MAGNET) Act would updatee the MSAP grant to expand access to funding and ensure it supports magnet schools with the greatest impact on improving diversity and academic performance.
“Magnet schools provide an important option for parents. By bringing together students from different zip codes, these schools are vital to improving equity and diversity in our classrooms - contributing to overall success for students. The federal government should continue funding magnet schools while meeting its responsibility to provide better resources for all schools,” said Blumenthal.
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jackie Rosen (D-NV), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) joined 21 of their colleagues in a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security requesting information on efforts to protect the United States from Russian cyber and disinformation threats. The letter references past Russian cyber operations – such the SolarWinds attack – as evidence of their history of engaging in malicious cyber activities that target the United States.
“Given Russia’s history of disruptive cyber and disinformation activities, we are concerned that the United States may be targeted in retaliation for actions taken to impose costs on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine,” the senators wrote. “As we stand with the Ukrainian people, impose crushing sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s regime, and push for additional security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself, we also must work to secure the homeland from retaliatory cyber activities.”
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined U.S. Representatives Katherine Clark (D-MA) and 88 members of the House and Senate in a bipartisan, bicameral letter calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to take additional steps to reduce energy costs in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.
“The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) plays a critical role in offsetting burdensome heating and cooling costs that strain the budgets of financially vulnerable Americans. But as prices skyrocket because of Russia’s aggression in Europe, states will have to make tough choices about the number of people they serve and the amount of LIHEAP assistance they can provide to each household,” the members wrote. “Recognizing this growing need, we respectfully request that you work with the Department of Energy to determine the impacts Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have on the home energy prices of low-income Americans for the remainder of this fiscal year and next. We also ask that you make recommendations for additional funding for LIHEAP, including supplemental and contingency funding, to minimize the impacts.”
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), U.S. Representative Mondaire Jones (D-NY), and his colleagues in introducing bicameral legislation to help stomp out rampant industry consolidation that allows companies to raise consumer prices and mistreat workers. The Prohibiting Anticompetitive Mergers Act would ban the biggest, most anticompetitive mergers and give the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the teeth to reject deals in the first instance without court orders and to break up harmful mergers.
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) met with Senator Mark Daly, Chair of the Senate of Ireland.
“Wonderful to meet with Senator Mark Daly today to talk about the long standing USA-Ireland friendship & the importance of recommitting to the Good Friday Agreement & Peace Process.”
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) marked Equal Pay Day with a call to action to address the wage gap.
“Today marks Equal Pay Day—or the date in the new year when women overall finally earn what men overall made last year alone.”
“The Wage Gap is a consequence of sexism, racism, & classism & how our country systematically devalues the labor of women—especially women of color.”
“Women deserve to be valued & paid the same as their male counterparts—& given an equal chance at economic security & advancement.”
“Paycheck Fairness is a critical part of the solution, but Congress must also take action to support paid sick days, paid leave, affordable childcare, & raising the minimum wage to help close the Wage Gap.”
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in introducing a resolution to designate March 2022 as Irish-American Heritage Month and honor the contributions of the Irish American community.
“This resolution celebrates our nation’s vibrant Irish American community and the nearly 32 million Americans who trace their ancestry back to the Emerald Isle. For centuries, Irish immigrants have crossed the Atlantic with hopes and aspirations for a better life. Through hard work and determination, the Irish community has contributed to and strengthened our nation in countless ways. I’m proud to join my colleagues in not only recognizing this important history, but renewing our commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and lasting peace in Ireland,” said Blumenthal.
AROUND CONNECTICUT
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) praised efforts by Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut General Assembly to temporarily suspend Connecticut’s 25-cent excise tax on gas through June 30, 2022. Blumenthal is supporting federal legislation to suspend the federal gas tax through the end of 2022.
“Consumers deserve immediate relief from soaring gas prices, including a break from federal and state taxes. I support state tax cuts commendably proposed by Governor Lamont and legislators, and call again for suspension of the federal tax. Paying an 18.4 cents federal levy adds both injury and insult to already sky high charges at the pump. Rising gasoline prices deeply burden individual lives and livelihoods every day, so both federal and state action is needed right away,” said Blumenthal.
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) met with Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn Wooden.
“Fantastic to meet with Treasurer Wooden & Senator Murphy today to talk about the implementation of CT’s baby bonds program & what more we can do on the federal level to get the national baby bonds bill across the finish line,” said Blumenthal.
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