Senator Blumenthal Week In Review 07/08/2022—07/15/2022
PROTECTING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IN POST-ROE AMERICA
— U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) announced they are co-sponsoring the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022 which will protect the rights of Americans to cross state lines to receive abortion care.
The legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and will make it clear that it is illegal for anti-choice states to limit travel for abortion services. The legislation would also empower the U.S. Attorney General and impacted individuals to bring civil action against those who restrict a woman’s right to cross state lines to receive reproductive care.
“Although Connecticut is at the forefront of protecting women who cross state lines to seek reproductive care, this legislation is vital to safeguard patients and providers who travel for this service. It would protect women against the most retaliatory and punitive laws now being implemented in states reacting to the Dobbs decision,” Blumenthal said. “The Supreme Court’s decision is already impacting people in every state and we need to do all we can and use every tool at our disposable to make reproductive health care safe and more accessible for all.”
Legislation introduced in Missouri and draft legislation proposed by anti-choice extremists make clear that interstate travel for reproductive health care is under attack. The Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022 underscores the Constitutional protections for interstate travel and provides redress for women whose rights are violated. The legislation would also protect health care providers in pro-choice states from prosecution and lawsuits for providing reproductive health care services to individuals traveling from other states.
— Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead Senate sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), called for action to protect reproductive rights and abortion access at the Committee’s hearing titled, “A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision.” After last month’s Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminated the right to an abortion and the freedom of women to make their own healthcare decisions, Blumenthal discussed the urgency for action.
“I’ve traveled around the state of Connecticut to clinics, visiting providers in Waterbury, New Haven, New London, Hartford, and as much as I have felt their aguish and anger, their fear about the future, I’m also impressed by their resilience and their resolve to continue providing these essential health care services,” said Blumenthal. “I commend President Biden for moving forward with protections and urge, again, that he declare a national emergency. We truly face an emergency every bit as dire as the opioid epidemic and COVID crisis, which had prompted declarations of emergency in the past.”
While Connecticut has enshrined the protections of Roe v. Wade into law, millions of Americans across the country now live in a state where abortion is illegal. With patients and providers threatened with criminal prosecution following the Dobbs decision, Blumenthal noted those seeking reproductive healthcare “will come to states like Connecticut” which “provides protections unparalleled, as far as I know, among any state so far in the country.”
“States like Connecticut and Illinois face an impending surge of women seeking their rights – health care rights, reproductive rights, human rights – in our states. What we face is unprecedented costs to our health care system, to the providers and clinics,” Blumenthal concluded.
Video of Blumenthal’s remarks is available here.
— Blumenthal joined U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 14 of their colleagues in a letter to President Biden and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, urging them to immediately declare national and public health emergencies over Americans’ access to reproductive care.
“While it is impossible to immediately undo the damage inflicted by the Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade, the Biden-Harris Administration must use every tool within its power to fight back,” wrote the lawmakers. “Your leadership during this unprecedented crisis for women is more important than ever.”
SUPPORTING OUR UKRAINIAN ALLIES
— Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, met with members of the Connecticut Ukrainian-American community in New Haven to discuss his visit last week to Ukraine and meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) traveled to Ukraine last week and met with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Blumenthal and Graham also traveled to Bucha, the Kyiv suburb where Russian forces reportedly killed hundreds of innocent civilians.
FIGHTING AMERICA’S GUN VIOLENCE EPIDEMIC
— Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded the Senate’s confirmation of Steve Dettelbach to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF):
“Steve Dettelbach will be the strong, steadfast leader the ATF needs as gun violence across our country continues to soar. His two decades of experience as a federal prosecutor, serving with law enforcement on the front lines of this public safety epidemic, has earned him wide praise from Democrats and Republicans alike. He knows firsthand what it takes to prevent more gun deaths and to protect the public against violent crime. After years without a director, I am relieved this critically important agency will finally have a leader at its helm to vigorously enforce our laws and safeguard our communities from the horrific scourge of gun violence.”
— Blumenthal spoke with families and community members from Uvalde, Texas.
“I spoke yesterday with students & families from Uvalde. Strong brave voices for their young classmates & teachers tragically killed & others traumatized by gun violence. Recent Congressional action must be a prelude to more—preventing such needless bloodshed & loss.”
— Blumenthal celebrated the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
“Passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is thanks to the work, courage, & perseverance of amazing advocates. I’m sorry I couldn’t join them at the White House today because of a positive COVID test, but I was with them in spirit. We must continue fighting gun violence.”
EXPANDING CITY RESIDENT ACCESS TO HEALTHY FARM FOOD
— Blumenthal, Murphy and U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT) announced $320,000 in American Rescue Plan funding for the Brass City Regional Food Hub to open a second location, allowing the organization to significantly increase access to healthy food in Waterbury’s underserved communities.
The Brass City Regional Food Hub opened in 2020 and distributes locally grown produce and other fresh foods in an area of Waterbury that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food. This funding will be used for the planning, design, and implementation of a secondary location in Waterbury.
“The Brass City Regional Food Hub has played a critical role in expanding food access and supporting local farmers through their continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Blumenthal. “With these critical federal funds, they will be able to significantly bolster their operations, feeding more Connecticut families who don’t currently have easy access to fresh, nutritious food, all while strengthening the local economy in Greater Waterbury.”
The grant was awarded by the Economic Development Administration (EDA)’s Economic Adjustment Assistance program which utilizes $3 billion in supplemental funding from the American Rescue Plan to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build back from the coronavirus pandemic.
SIMPLIFYING THE FILING PROCESS FOR TAXPAYERS
— Blumenthal and Warren joined 21 of their colleagues in introducing the Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2022, which would simplify the tax filing process for millions of Americans, saving them hours and hundreds of dollars. Along with lowering costs and eliminating red tape for all taxpayers, simplified filing tools would ensure that more eligible people – including millions of low-income Americans – receive important tax refunds, like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.
This legislation follows years of issues with the Free File program, which was outsourced by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to the tax prep industry and serves just 3% of taxpayers when 70% are eligible. Longtime Free File Alliance member Intuit has been sued for scamming taxpayers into paying for filing services that should have been free, and faced reports of ongoing abuse of revolving door tactics to defend the broken tax filing system. The Government Accountability Office recently recommended that the IRS develop additional options for free online filing, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen agreed that investing in truly free and simple tax filing tools like those proposed in this legislation is “definitely a priority."
“This legislation will save taxpayers valuable time and money. Our current system is so confusing that filers purchase unnecessary third-party programs, forcing them to share their sensitive information and leaving them vulnerable to fraud,” said Blumenthal. “Americans deserve access to simple, free tax preparation and filing services. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this measure to modernize and streamline the burdensome tax filing process.”
IMPROVING FOOD SAFETY GUIDELINES
— Blumenthal, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Food Safety Administration Act of 2022, legislation that would establish the Food Safety Administration, a single food safety agency responsible for ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply. This new agency would take over food safety responsibilities currently housed at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA regulates approximately 80 percent of our food supply, and consumers and industry depend on the FDA food program to perform its regulatory role effectively—and yet, despite increased authorities and funding, the agency has failed to make significant inroads in reducing rates of foodborne illness and death in the U.S. About one in six Americans—or 48 million people—get sick from foodborne illness each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 128,000 Americans are hospitalized each year and 3,000 Americans die of foodborne diseases. This costs the United States more than $15.6 billion each year.
“Americans deserve to know the food on their plates is safe to eat,” said Blumenthal. “By protecting consumers from foodborne illnesses and acting swiftly to respond to recalls, the Food Safety Administration will improve the safety of our nation’s vital food supply. I’m proud to join Senator Durbin and Congresswoman DeLauro in this important effort to safeguard public health.”
EXPANDING INTERNET ACCESSIBILITY
— Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) joined 11 of their colleagues in a letter calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to support online protections for Americans with disabilities. The senators asked DOJ to restart a rulemaking process under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to establish new rules ensuring that the ADA applies to the Internet.
“The United States has invested billions of dollars to develop technology and provide connectivity to all parts of the country, but it is of little value to the Americans who are unable to access the online services that the rest of us so heavily rely on,” the senators wrote to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. “When Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, the Internet and digital technologies were at a nascent stage. More than thirty years later, these technologies are now ubiquitous and we rely on them for daily activities—such as communicating with friends and family, conducting business, accessing government resources, and obtaining health care. New rules are necessary so that individuals with disabilities are provided equal access to the digital world.”
CELEBRATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE EEOC
— Blumenthal, Murphy, and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined a group of their colleagues in marking the 57th anniversary of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) with a resolution celebrating the agency’s critical mission protecting workers’ rights and enforcing our nation’s workplace harassment and discrimination laws.
AWARDING SAME-SEX COUPLES FULL & COMPLETE VA BENEFITS
— Blumenthal and Murphy, along with 39 Democratic colleagues in the Senate, sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough urging answers and speedy action to ensure same-sex veteran couples have access to the full and complete spousal benefits they are owed.
“Each of our veterans and their spouses deserve the same quality care and services once they leave the military – no matter who they love. Our veterans and their families, who selflessly served our nation and have sacrificed so much, must be afforded the benefits they have so rightly earned. This is not only a matter of fairness and equity, it is the morally right thing to do,” wrote the senators. “Yet, we have recently heard from numerous survivors about issues they are facing when they attempt to access the full Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits that they are entitled to under the law.”
In the letter, the senators underscored reported examples of VA’s refusal to deem same-sex marriages as having met the statutory marriage duration or deadline requirements when couples were legally barred from marrying within that timeframe immediately before the veteran’s death. The senators highlighted how denying benefits in cases where same-sex couples failed to meet marriage duration requirements have left them ineligible for benefits due to living in places where marriage laws barred them from marrying—even though they were in loving, committed relationships and would have married earlier if they could.
Whereas other federal agencies like the Social Security Administration took action to accept and reconsider claims for survivor benefits by same-sex spouses and partners who were previously unable to meet marriage duration requirements, VA has failed to provide recourse for same-sex couples held back by unconstitutional and discriminatory laws. The senators called for VA to make eligible for benefits bona fide same-sex relationships who have been denied benefits solely because they could not meet a strict marriage durational requirement.
“We promise to take care of all our veterans after they serve our country, and that includes ensuring that their partners have access to full and complete spousal benefits. Correcting this error will help end the discriminatory treatment of potentially thousands of same-sex veteran couples and allow them to access the benefits they are owed,” the senators concluded.
EVENTS AROUND CONNECTICUT
— Blumenthal attended the ribbon cutting for the opening of the new H.O.P.E. Homeless Shelter in New Haven,
“Proud to join the open ceremony for the New H.O.P.E. Homeless Shelter, enabling new lives & loving homes—for people also needing services, counseling, health care, jobs, & more. Thanks to CCA, Rev. Bonita Grubbs, Lindy Lee Gold, & others!”
— Blumenthal reacted to the discovery of racist flyers around Meriden.
“White supremacy & racist flyers in Meriden, West Hartford, & elsewhere are signs of an egregious evil that must be fought. Thanks to community leaders & law enforcement for your work to stop it. CT offers no harbor for such hate.”
— Blumenthal congratulated TaShun Bowden-Lewis on becoming the first Black woman in Connecticut to serve as the state’s Chief Public Defender.
“A huge congratulations to TaShun Bowden-Lewis on becoming the first Black woman to be CT’s Chief Public Defender. Through her integrity & perseverance she will lead by example & continue our state’s strong tradition of public defense.”
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