Senator Blumenthal Week In Review 04/01/2022–04/08/2022

LEGISLATION, LETTERS, & STATEMENTS

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke in support of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ahead of the Committee’s vote on Judge Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Key quotes from Blumenthal’s remarks are below:

“She has wowed America. Any of us going home over these past weekends have seen a standing ovation for Judge Jackson from the American people.”

“It is a joyous and exciting moment for all of America. Her nomination will make the Supreme Court look more like America and hopefully think more like America.”

“Representation matters. It matters for the legitimacy and credibility of our whole judicial system. Judges are the voice and face of justice in America. Their credibility matters. They have no armies. They have no police forces. They have no power of the purse. The United States Supreme Court depends on its credibility and the trust of the American people that it will think like they do.”

“This nominee has an emotional intelligence in addition to legal intellect. She is a bridge builder. She aims at consensus.”

“She is someone who knows what it means to respect and enforce the law. And she has a respect for the law, not just words on the page as my colleague Senator Klobuchar said so well, she has respect for the impact of the words of judges in opinions they write and what they speak in the courtroom – the effect and impact on everyday Americans.”

“All of America will think about the law and about the court in new ways. And little girls, women, all of America will hopefully have more respect and trust for the courts.”

“She is, as she said, standing on the shoulders of others who couldn't be here today – Constance Baker Motley, John Lewis, her parents, and thousands of others who fought, and some died, for changes in the laws so that we would think about the law in new ways and she would become our first Black woman on the United States Supreme Court.”

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, called for additional steps to lower gas prices for consumers and hold accountable oil companies that are exploiting and profiting from record prices.

At the hearing titled, “Ensuring Transparency in Petroleum Markets,” Blumenthal highlighted a recent Hearst Media analysis that found Connecticut’s efforts to temporarily suspend the state’s 25 cent per gallon gas tax successfully lowered prices at the pump.

“Let me just say there are some success stories here,” said Blumenthal. “The day after the state tax was suspended – and it’s a 25 cent per gallon tax – prices dropped by 24 cents at all but four of the hundred gas station surveyed. Twenty-four cents. Real money back in people’s pockets.”

Blumenthal called for similar action at the federal level, including a temporary suspension of the federal 18.4 cent per gallon gas tax. Blumenthal also called for passage of the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax, legislation to curb profiteering by oil companies and provide Americans relief at the gas pump.

“The [Big Oil] Windfall Profits Tax [Act] that we have proposed in legislation would address the fact that oil companies are making record profits,” said Blumenthal, citing reports that 25 top oil and gas companies raked in $237 billion in profits in 2021 alone while consumers struggled with high prices. “Fourteen oil companies gave away $35 billion to shareholders – dividends that bump up their income but take away from consumers, including stock buybacks which enrich only the investors. The oil companies clearly want to continue efforts to exploit and profiteer at the expense of consumers.”    

— Amid disturbing reports that Hertz has been wrongly reporting customers to the police for stealing rental cars, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the company’s inaccurate reporting practices and take appropriate action.

“It appears that Hertz’s practices have resulted in the false arrests of numerous customers through no fault of their own,” wrote Blumenthal to FTC Chair Lina Khan. “I urge you to open an investigation into Hertz’s inaccurate and potentially unfair practice of reporting its vehicles as stolen and take appropriate enforcement action to ensure Hertz’s consumers are not falsely arrested or otherwise harmed.”

Reports reveal that Hertz has for at least the past four years filed more than 3,000 stolen vehicle reports with law enforcement each year. Many of these reports turned out to be inaccurate, resulting in false arrests of innocent Hertz customers who were arrested at gunpoint, jailed for days and sometimes months, lost their jobs or homes, and incurred thousands of dollars in attorney fees.

Last week, Blumenthal sent a letter to Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr, demanding the company fix their reckless practices resulting in their customers wrongly going to jail.

The full text of Blumenthal’s letter to the FTC is available here.

— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Representatives Hank Johnson (D-GA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Mike Quigley (D-IL), David Cicilline (D-RI), and Mondaire Jones (D-NY) introduced the Twenty-First Century Courts Act, a robust legislative plan to promote accountability and increase transparency in the federal courts. This legislation aims to restore Americans’ trust in their justice system by directly addressing the public’s concerns about judicial conduct—including by requiring the Supreme Court to issue a code of conduct for its justices. Blumenthal has also co-sponsored the Supreme Court Ethics Act authored by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT).

“The reforms in this legislation should be really common-sense stuff that the Supreme Court and other federal courts do as a matter of course, but their resistance requires us to act,” said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Our courts command no army or police force. They have no power of the purse. Their authority rests in the American people’s belief in their independence and integrity. Now, their credibility is hanging by a thread. This bill will implement some basic accountability and transparency measures to begin restoring public trust and confidence in our courts – the lifeblood of our judicial branch.”

— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act to ensure Medicare patients have full coverage of chiropractic care. As medical professionals have reported seeing more neck and back pain in their patients over the pandemic, this bipartisan legislation would expand Medicare’s coverage of chiropractic services, ensuring Medicare patients have access to chiropractic care as a non-drug alternative for pain management.

“This bill will make it easier for seniors to get the chiropractic care they need for their pain,” said Blumenthal. “Burdensome regulations currently in place are an onerous obstacle for Medicare patients seeking necessary treatment. By expanding Medicare coverage to all chiropractic services, this measure will ensure seniors have alternative means of treatment when managing their pain—a substitute to potentially addictive opioid prescriptions.”

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded the Committee’s approval of Vanessa Avery’s nomination to serve as United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

“I would like to say how proud I am of this nomination having held this job myself,” said Blumenthal ahead of the Committee’s vote. “She is a trial attorney with broad experience, enormous expertise, and superbly qualified for this role serving the people of Connecticut.”

Avery’s nomination will now be sent to the full Senate for consideration. If confirmed, Avery would become the first Black woman to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut. 

— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced the Disaster and Emergency Pricing Abuse Prevention Act, legislation to prohibit the selling of essential goods and services at exorbitant prices during or in anticipation of a natural disaster, pandemic, or state of emergency. The bill would give the FTC more tools to go after excessive and unjustified price increases in the sale of certain products and services when an emergency or disaster occurs.

“This legislation cracks down on nefarious price gouging scams during times of crisis and emergency. Access to essential goods and services at affordable, fair prices cannot be dictated by predatory swindlers intent on profiting from the public’s pain and hardship. To protect consumers and their pocketbooks from being needlessly overcharged, we must hold bottom-feeding grifters accountable,” Blumenthal said.

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined his Senate Democratic colleagues in releasing a new report in their Captured Courts series on the dark-money group the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) and its role in right-wing donor interests’ scheme to capture and control the Supreme Court.

“No organization is more pernicious when it comes to further capturing and corrupting our independent judiciary than the Judicial Crisis Network. This report details the Judicial Crisis Network’s years-long dark money campaign to block Democratic judicial nominees and prop up Republican ones – most recently culminating in a disgusting smear campaign against Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Shining a light on the Judicial Crisis Network and the corrupt network of related groups opposed to fair and equal justice is the first step. Next, we must pass the DISCLOSE Act so that neither the Judicial Crisis Network or its accomplices can continue attacking our democracy from the shadows,” said Blumenthal.

— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) joined their colleagues in introducing a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to celebrate April as the Month of the Military Child. Specifically, the resolution urges all citizens, business, and government leaders to observe the Month of the Military Child with ceremonies and activities that honor, support, and show appreciation for the incredible sacrifices of the 1.6 million children connected to the military across the United States.

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) applauded the announcement by Medicare that that millions of enrollees will finally have access to free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at drug stores.

“Amazing news—millions of people enrolled in Medicare can now get home COVID-19 tests at no out of pocket cost. By having access to 8 tests per month, Medicare recipients can utilize this tool to help reduce the spread of COVID & keep their communities safe.”

— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) met with the Architect of the Capitol to discuss protecting the jobs of Senate cafeteria workers.

“During the pandemic, Jan. 6 insurrection, & much more, Senate cafeteria workers have heroically come to work & provided critical services. Today, Senators Warren, Padilla, Lujan, Merkley, and I spoke to the Architect of the Capitol to help protect their jobs,” said Blumenthal.

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reacted to reports than Russia is recruiting mercenaries and Syrians to Ukraine.

“Invoke the Defense Production Act to produce more lethal military support for Ukraine, speed delivery to front, backfill allies’ stockpiles & prevent our own supplies from running low—Javelin/Stinger missiles, anti-aircraft systems, & more. Spare no effort.”

“Time is desperately short before Putin's WWII Victory Day parade, May 9, when Putin must show tangible success to his people. More military aid must be rushed—even more than promised, more quickly—to hinder Putin's disinformation campaign & reveal his failures.”

“My recent trips to the region convince me that we must do more—planes, tanks, air defense missiles, etc. But also broader, deeper economic sanctions, covering ALL Russian banks, all who finance Putin’s war machine, & tougher export controls—keep increasing pressure on Putin.”

— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Deb Fisher (R-NE), members of the Senate Commerce Committee, introduced Hammers’ Law. The bill would amend an over 100-year-old law, known as the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA). In modern times, the cruise industry uses DOHSA to avoid financial accountability for the wrongful deaths of passengers who do not have dependents or income. These passengers – including children, students, and retirees – account for a significant portion of the 12 million Americans who cruise each year.

“This measure is an important step toward ensuring families can hold cruise lines accountable when their loved ones tragically die onboard. Outdated laws restrict family members from seeking fair compensation following a devastating loss. I’m proud to work with Senator Fischer on this bipartisan effort to update our laws and provide justice to families after a cruise catastrophe,” said Blumenthal.

The legislation is named for Larry and Christy Hammer of Omaha, who tragically lost their lives in a fire in their cabin onboard a Peruvian river cruise on April 10^th, 2016. This Sunday marks the six-year anniversary of the incident. Hammers’ Law would enable future families to pursue fairer compensation when similar tragedies strike, and it will hold the responsible cruise line accountable by allowing for compensation that more fully reflects the company’s negligence. The full text of the bill can be found here.

AROUND CONNECTICUT

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) issued the following statement regarding Treasurer Shawn Wooden’s decision not to seek re-election:

“Shawn Wooden is a prudent fiscal manager of state funds and a tireless advocate for Connecticut residents especially those in underserved communities. I am thankful for his efforts to pass the innovative Baby Bonds legislation both at the state and national level. While his decision not to seek reelection is disappointing, he is making the best decision for his family. His future remains bright and I look forward to working with him in the future.”

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined a ceremony welcoming home over 200 members of the Connecticut National Guard.

“Proud to salute, thank, & welcome home our courageous, skilled Air National Guard members who deployed to incredibly important, challenging missions around the world. Our deep thanks to you & your families!”

“Among the critical missions of CT’s Air National Guard was helping at-risk Afghan allies to escape & resettle—after they put their lives on the line to protect American troops & diplomats, & now are in danger from the Taliban. Many others remain, needing help to leave.”

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) visited Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford to highlight federal funding that will be used for facility equipment and upgrades.

“A new physical medicine & rehabilitation physicians residency program will be coming to Gaylord Hospital thanks to $1.2 million in federal funding. This first of its kind program in CT will be vital to ensure our state has expanded resources for specialty medical professionals.”

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) visited Phantom Brewing in Hartford for the unveiling of their new beer to benefit Ukraine.

“Amazing to visit Phantom Brewing to see the production of their Blue & Gold Ale in action. This specialty brew is dedicated to the brave people of Ukraine with all proceeds going to support humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Another great way CT is showing their unwavering support.”

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) issued the following statement after the Connecticut Yankee Council of Boy Scouts rejected an offer by a local nonprofit group, Pathfinders, to purchase Deer Lake Camp in Killingworth:

“This shocking decision by the Connecticut Yankee Boy Scout Council is antithetical to the mission of the Boy Scouts. One of the paramount purposes of Scouting is to prepare young people to make strong ethical and moral choices but the Council’s action is neither ethical nor morally correct choice. Since its founding, environmental values have been a core principle of the Boy Scouts. This action betrays those values and public service. The Boy Scouts are choosing money and development of a pristine part of Connecticut over a competitive offer that preserves open space for future campers and all Connecticut residents. I strongly urge the Boy Scouts to engage in good faith negotiations with Pathfinders to reach a mutually agreeable price.”

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) attended a Ukrainian prayer service in Litchfield.

“Honored to join in prayers on this rainy day for the brave, strong people of Ukraine at the Shrine of Lourdes in Litchfield. As Bishop Paul Patrick Chomnycky reminded us, after rain & snow, there are flowers & hope. Glory to Ukraine.”

— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reacted to Mark Mirko’s final day at the Hartford Courant.

“A massive loss for the Courant & CT, Mark Mirko is a true photojournalist asking probing questions while capturing historic moments. Best wishes Mark, the Courant won’t be the same without you.”

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