Senator Blumenthal Week In Review 08/12/2022—08/19/2022
CELEBRATING THE PASSAGE OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
— U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined small business owners and Access Health CT to highlight the extension of affordable health insurance subsidies.
“The Inflation Reduction Act’s extension of critical healthcare subsidies will mean huge savings for small businesses & families across CT. With the help of @AccessHealthCT, countless consumers will pay less for premiums & prescription drugs under this historic measure.”
The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed by President Biden on Tuesday, extends the Federal Advance Premium Tax Credits until 2025 for individuals who buy plans off the exchange. These tax credits reduce health care premiums for people in Connecticut by millions of dollars and are a lifeline for small business owners who purchase their health care with the Affordable Care Act.
— Blumenthal also joined AARP Connecticut at the Meriden Senior Center to highlight how the Inflation Reduction Act will lower the cost of prescription drugs. The Inflation Reduction Act will empower Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and will also cap out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries at $2,000 per year, saving seniors thousands of dollars each year.
“The Inflation Reduction Act will save seniors thousands of dollars a year by allowing Medicare to cap annual out-of-pocket costs & negotiate the price of prescription drugs. Thrilled to join @kmscarpati & local leaders in Meriden to highlight the importance of this legislation.”
Prescription drug prices have continued to rise and Americans pay as much as four times more for prescription drugs than consumers around the world. As a consequence, millions of Americans have reported rationing their medication, choosing not to fill their prescriptions or going without food because of the high cost of their prescription drugs.
— Blumenthal and U.S. Representative John B. Larson (D-CT) joined clean energy advocates to tout provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that make historic investments in clean energy companies and the fight against climate change.
“The Inflation Reduction Act will bolster Connecticut’s green energy manufacturers & bring down the cost of heating and air conditioning. This historic investment in clean energy will have immense enduring impact.”
The Inflation Reduction Act is the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history. The bill includes over $60 billion for on-shore energy manufacturing, including tax credits to accelerate U.S. manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries as well as tax credits to build clean technology manufacturing facilities.
SUPPORTING AFGHAN ALLIES
— Blumenthal joined refugee resettlement groups and Afghan refugees in New Haven to announce new bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will allow Afghan allies with temporary legal status to apply for permanent legal status in the United States.
“I’m proud to stand with refugees & advocates to announce the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act giving at-risk Afghan allies permanent legal status here so they can begin new lives in a nation of immigrants.”
The Blumenthal-introduced, bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act, would improve newly arrived Afghan allies’ legal status as they build new lives in the United States. Currently, Afghans who were admitted on temporary humanitarian status can only achieve permanent legal status through the asylum process or the Special Immigrant Visa process, which face severe backlogs and long processing times. Hundreds of Afghans have been resettled in Connecticut since the Taliban’s takeover following the U.S. withdrawal of troops in August of last year.
The Afghan Adjustment Act would also improve and expand the Special Immigrant Visa process, including by broadening SIV eligibility to include groups that worked alongside American forces such as the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command and the Female Tactical Teams of Afghanistan.
STRENGTHENING CONNECTICUT’S WORKFORCE
— Blumenthal joined Governor Ned Lamont and U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT) at a news conference in Groton with U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh to make an announcement regarding CareerConneCT. The state program, which is being administered by the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, was created to provide thousands of workers – including those whose employment was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – with the job training necessary to get back to work or trained for other high-quality career pathways.
“Proud to welcome @SecMartyWalsh to CT today to announce the new CareerConneCT job training program. Made possible by the American Rescue Plan, it will provide new job opportunities & brighter futures for thousands of CT residents returning to work & advancing in their careers.”
“By providing participants with the tools they need to succeed, this initiative will help our state rebuild after the pandemic & continue to strengthen our economy & workforce.”
— Blumenthal announced a $593K federal grant to Capital Workforce Partners (CWP) to support programs helping formerly incarcerated people find employment. The program serves formerly incarcerated residents of Hartford County with career services, workforce training, job placement, and mental and behavioral health services.
“Deeply moving stories from returning citizens—learning skills in manufacturing, carpentry, construction & culinary at Capitol Workforce Partners—many after decades in prison. Proud to announce a $593K grant in support, giving them a 2nd chance & CT employers much needed workers.”
ADDRESSING THE MONKEYBOX PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY
— Blumenthal joined health providers and advocates in New Haven and Middletown to urge Congress to include critical funding to curb the monkeypox public health emergency in any forthcoming legislative package.
“I joined with providers & advocates at @FairHavenCHC & @CHCConnecticut to call for a rapid, robust response to the monkeypox public health emergency. The Defense Production Act should be used to surge vaccine production—everyone who needs this vaccine deserves to get it.”
In a letter to Senate leadership, Blumenthal and 13 of his Democratic colleagues urged a more robust response from the federal government regarding the public health emergency, including federal funding to bolster public health, vaccines, testing, treatment and public education. Blumenthal vehemently called on federal authorities to expand the supply of monkeypox vaccines using the Defense Production Act, and increase access to testing and treatments as cases rise in Connecticut and nationwide.
PREVENTING BUTTON BATTERY DANGERS
— Blumenthal joined doctors at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and the mother of a child who survived swallowing a button battery to celebrate the passage of Reese’s Law — the Blumenthal led legislation that strengthens safety standards for battery packaging and products with small batteries frequently found in everyday items. The bill was signed into law by President Biden this week.
“I was joined by Marisa & her son Cam, who at 13 months swallowed a button battery. Cam is one of the lucky ones. His life was saved by @ctchildrens. We need stronger safety standards for these household dangers—exactly what my recently passed bill, Reese’s Law, is set to do.”
Named in honor of Reese Hamsmith, an 18-month-old child from Texas who died after ingesting a button cell battery from a remote control, the legislation will protect children from these small button cell and coin batteries found in common household items including cameras, calculators, battery-operated candles, flashing apparel, and even greeting cards. If swallowed, these batteries can pose a serious danger to young children and infants, and can cause serious injuries, severe internal burns, or even death.
STOPPING HATE CRIMES
— Blumenthal marked the anniversary of Heather Heyer and Khalid Jabara’s deaths, emphasizing the need to prevent hate crimes.
“On the anniversary of Heather Heyer’s&Khalid Jabara’s deaths, we’re reminded that our nation is still plagued by the hateful violence that fueled these attacks. I’ll keep fighting to stamp out hate in all its form&build upon the vital steps taken by the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act.”
CURBING MISLEADING & FRAUDULENT ADS
— Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, raised serious concerns about Google hosting misleading and fraudulent advertisements and called on the company to provide information about its advertising policies and practices.
“Troublingly, Google has routinely failed to address dangerous scams, impersonation, cybercrime, and other fraud on its extensive advertising network,” Blumenthal wrote to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, citing several examples of repeated advertising scams that have defrauded consumers, including ads impersonating government agencies. “These recurring examples suggests that, while Google claims certain rules in principle, in practice these policies often appear to be dead letter law.”
As Google dominates the advertising market and its search engine results page moved towards a less obvious distinction between paid and organic search results, differentiating between ads and organic content has become more difficult for consumers and an even greater challenge for small businesses attempting to compete with bigger competitors. The full text of the letter can be found here.
FIXING IRS CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUES
— Blumenthal joined U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), and U.S. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) along with a bipartisan and bicameral group of 88 of their colleagues in reiterating their push for the IRS to resolve customer services issues. Specially, the letter urges the agency to eliminate the ongoing, unprecedented processing delays, improve customer service, extend the suspension of automated notices and collections, and continue making maximum use of overtime and surge teams.
“Since last year, numerous Members of Congress in the House and Senate have sent several letters regarding customer service issues, processing delays, and the outstanding backlog of returns,” wrote the bicameral group of lawmakers to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig. “Yet, we are writing again to urge the IRS to extend the suspension of automated collections, continue the pause on automated notices, keep its surge teams in place until hiring challenges and processing backlogs are adequately addressed.”
A copy of the letter can be found HERE.
AROUND CONNECTICUT
— Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, attended the National Coast Guard Museum Keel Laying ceremony as the first phase of construction is set to begin next month. The museum will offer more than 200 galleries and exhibits to honor the men and women who served in the U.S. Coast Guard and inspire the next generation to serve.
The Connecticut congressional delegation secured $50 million in federal funding for the National Coast Guard Museum in March, bringing the total federal investment to $70 million. The project will create hundreds of construction jobs in New London, and once complete, will serve as an economic driver for southeastern CT.
— Blumenthal visited architectural glass manufacturing company in Norwich to tour their newly opened facility. Naverra, originally named Solar Seal, underwent renovations to their Norwich facility utilizing $1.05 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. The company is focused on producing energy-efficient windows for tall commercial buildings to cut heat and air conditioning costs.
— Blumenthal visited Athletic Brewing Company’s newest facility. Athletic’s Milford location is their third brewery and their largest location with 150,000 square feet of brewing facilities and office space.
“Demand for non-alcoholic beer is burgeoning—and so is @AthleticBrewing’s business—bringing good jobs & great product to CT. An inspiring American success story!”
— Blumenthal and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker kicked-off Teacher Appreciation Day at IKEA New Haven.
“Every day should be Teacher Appreciation Day—but this one is special, thanks to IKEA & WFSB. As we begin a new exciting school year, even in the midst of continuing public health challenges, a great shout out of gratitude to all who do this tough, hugely important work.”
IKEA New Haven and WFSB Channel 3 have partnered with the Connecticut Parent Teacher Association to recognize educators ahead of the upcoming school year. Teachers from across Connecticut are invited to take advantage of discounts and participate in gift card sweepstakes and giveaways.
— Blumenthal attended the Capitol Region Education Council’s 8th annual back to school block party. The annual event brings together 53 community groups and distributes thousands of free backpacks filled with school supplies to students.
“Hartford students beginning the school year with a big beat & backpacks—the beat from a rousing drumline & the backpacks thanks to CREC, Hartford school educators & staff, & other wonderful organizations. Proud to be part of it.”
— Blumenthal visited Hartford’s Youth Challenge.
“Supporting adults struggling with addiction, Hartford’s Youth Challenge rehabilitation program is truly inspiring. Combining services & housing, they’re transforming lives & opening a path to recovery.”
— Blumenthal celebrated Connecticut’s community college system being ranked the best in the country.
“Congrats to CT’s community college system on being ranked the best in the nation! In my visits to campuses around the state, I’ve seen firsthand the dedicated professional staff, hardworking students & quality education deserving of this recognition.”
— Blumenthal attended the Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven.
“This year’s Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven—drawing huge, happy crowds—was dedicated to Puerto Rican women. Prominent women in the community were featured. Wonderful!”
— Blumenthal attended the Chabad of the Shoreline’s Jewish Festival in Guilford.
“Celebrating Jewish culture & heritage with Rabbi Yossi Jaffe & Gov. Lamont at Chabad of the Shoreline Jewish Festival in Guilford. What a wonderful event with great music, food, & people!”
— Blumenthal attended the annual Mission Possible for Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation gala in Middlefield.
“Proud to be at Mission Possible 2022—the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation annual gala. Two fantastic honorees—pediatric nurse Colleen Brown & Dr. You Sung Sang. This organization does boundless good.”
— Blumenthal attended Hartford’s West Indian Independence Celebration parade.
“A rousing, rocking parade for Hartford’s West Indian Independence Celebration. Exuberant, uplifting bands & dance groups were a real tribute to a great heritage.”
— Blumenthal attended Military Appreciation Day in New London.
“Moving tributes to our men & women in uniform & vets at New London Military Appreciation Day. We owe them action, not just rhetoric—making recent passage of the PACT Act with benefits for burn pit exposure even more timely.”
— Blumenthal (D-CT) celebrated the work of Save the River, Save the Hills at the kayak regatta in Waterford.
“Activists & advocates gathered for kayaking, great food & friendship, celebrating critical work by Save the River, Save the Hills. We honored Dan Steward, former Waterford First Selectman & much admired leader.”
-30-