Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 3/21/25-3/28/25
Slamming Trump Administration’s Reckless Signal Chat Security Breach
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a statement in response to reports that senior members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet and national security team – including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe – discussed classified military operations over Signal in a group chat that included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic:
“The Trump Cabinet’s reckless security breach is appalling. Teenagers making plans for a Saturday night mix up group text chains – the National Security Advisor and Secretary of Defense discussing mission details where American lives might be at risk cannot. This shocking and dangerous failure to maintain operational security demands accountability. Senate Republicans who voted for this Secretary of Defense knowing well his record of carelessness should condemn these actions loudly, and Chairman Wicker should call a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee immediately,” said Blumenthal.
On Twitter/X, Blumenthal further called out the Trump Administration’s security breach threatening the lives of American military men and women.
“The Hegseth/Waltz defense is head spinning— and adds cause for their resignation. They say the highly sensitive Houthi bombing mission info wasn’t classified. Nothing merited classification more— details about the targets, weapons, timing and more put American pilots and others in danger,” wrote Blumenthal.
Blumenthal joined MSNBC host Alicia Menendez to discuss the Signal chat security breach, calling for accountability from the members of Trump’s cabinet involved in the chat.
Blumenthal also joined MSNBC host Chris Jansing calling out the responses of Hegseth and Waltz to the security breach claiming that no mistakes were made in the sharing of sensitive U.S. war plans in the Signal chat.
On the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, took to the Senate floor to urge his Republican colleagues to join his efforts to hold the Trump Administration accountable for its egregious cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits.
“We need a plan for accountability. That's our job, to hold responsible officials who have the obligation and opportunity to serve our veterans at a time when Elon Musk and Donald Trump are slashing and trashing our [VA] with real-life impacts on the health care and disability benefits that are afforded to our nation's heroes. It is a disgrace. It is shameful. It is unacceptable. And we need to muster the courage and fortitude on the part of this body to call it out and call it off,” stressed Blumenthal.
Blumenthal concluded his remarks urging bipartisan Congressional oversight: “VA Secretary Collins, Musk, and Trump, the VA team are prioritizing a fire first, analyze later mindset and strategy at the expense of the very people they're supposed to serve—people who served and sacrificed for us, America's veterans. It's unconscionable, it's unwise and ineffective.…America's veterans deserve nothing less than for every single member in this body to call into question these damaging policies. They deserve nothing less than the gold standard in health care as well as full and complete benefits of the PACT Act and in every other respect, the respect and responsibility that we have. To disrespect them is un-American.”
A video of Blumenthal’s full remarks can be found here.
On Twitter/X, Blumenthal further called out the Trump Administration’s deleterious VA cuts, freezes, and firings.
“It’s a disgrace. It’s shameful. It’s unacceptable. We are in a moment of crisis for our veterans. Musk is slashing & trashing our VA with huge, real life impacts on vets’ health care & disability benefits. Congress must muster the fortitude to call it out & call it off,” wrote Blumenthal.
Blumenthal announced a series of shadow hearings to counter Trump’s mass firing of federal veteran employees and slashing cuts to VA care and benefits. He is organizing the hearings with Committee Democratic members over the next few weeks to highlight the impact of the Trump Administration’s policies on veterans and VA.
“Congress has an urgent oversight role in this moment of crisis for veterans. Now more than ever, we need to sound the alarm and hear directly from the veterans and VA employees impacted by Musk-Trump’s heartless and heartbreaking cuts, freezes, and firings. That’s why I will be standing up a series of shadow hearings with my fellow Democratic Committee members to ensure we are highlighting the human, real-life impacts and harm caused by this Administration’s malign directives. We have a responsibility to bring to light the impact of Musk-Trump’s disastrous and disgraceful cuts. Hearing from veterans and impacted stakeholders firsthand is the first step toward holding this Administration accountable for their reckless and lawless directives,” said Blumenthal.
On Twitter/X, Blumenthal slammed the Trump Administration’s VA cuts hamstringing the often life-saving operations of the Veterans Crisis Line.
“Veterans Crisis Line operators save lives every time they pick up the phone. It's unconscionable that Musk’s cuts & DOGE's attacks are hindering this work. We must stop this assault on VA & its employees working round the clock to end veteran suicide,” wrote Blumenthal.
Calling Out Trump Administration’s Actions Threatening the Environment
Blumenthal took to the Senate Floor to condemn the Trump Administration’s plans roll back protections, cut staff, and fire scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency— endangering the health and safety of Americans.
“So, let's just call it what it is. Elon Musk, Donald Trump are using Lee Zeldin— I'm tempted to say he's their puppet, certainly he's their instrument— to take a wrecking ball to environmental protections that have safeguarded Americans from toxic air and water pollution for decades. And so far from ensuring clean land, water, and air for all, Elon Musk’s EPA is giving Donald Trump's big polluters a carte blanche to trash the planet. No exaggeration, really. I mean, come right down to it, let's call it for what it is. The Administration is running roughshod over our federal environmental protection laws, writ large,” said Blumenthal. “For every action they take to chip away at our bedrock and environmental protections, the world is less healthy, and our planet is more endangered. I urge my colleagues to stand in strong opposition to the Musk-Trump-Zeldin shameless attack on the Environmental Protection Agency and on our environment.”
A video of Blumenthal’s full remarks can be found here.
Blumenthal, joined by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-01) and Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick demanding the reinstatement of over 800 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees who were terminated. The letter coincides with Coasts Week, observed the week of March 24, to highlight the critical importance of the nation’s shores and coastal waterways to community resilience and the economy.
“Mass firings, office closures, and the threat of budget cuts severely undermine NOAA’s work to share weather and climate forecasts, facilitate restoration and resiliency projects, and sustainably manage our ocean’s resources – especially in Connecticut,” wrote the lawmakers. “These attacks on NOAA are dangerous to human health and safety and economically nonsensical. Simply put, NOAA saves lives and taxpayer money.”
“These indiscriminate firings are devastating to NOAA – to the critical work the agency does to protect our communities and to the dedicated employees themselves who have devoted their careers to public service. We demand that you immediately reinstate these federal workers and stop any action that undermines NOAA’s critical mission for the benefit of Connecticut, the national economy, and the planet,” concluded the lawmakers.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Advocating for Protections for American Consumers
Blumenthal spoke on the Senate Floor calling on his colleagues to stand in opposition to Senate Joint Resolution 18, which seeks to undo the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) overdraft fee rule.
“Overdrafts hit people who are living paycheck to paycheck, people who are at the bottom rung of our economic order through no fault of their own, often the result of discrimination, and denial of rights that others are fortunate to have. But put aside the inequities of this rule or the overdraft practices that it tries to ameliorate, the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau is in effect the watch dog or the top cop in the beat of preventing consumers from being scammed as they are by overdraft fees. It's under attack by the Trump Administration,” said Blumenthal. “Today, the Republicans unfortunately are shamefully doing the Trump Administration's bidding. They're stripping crucial protection away from working American families and our military members. And it is simply and plainly a gift. It's a gift to the big banks. But every attack on the CFPB including this CRA is an attack on consumer protection, commonsense safeguards that make sure that Americans can avoid being exploited by big and powerful institutions.”
“Overturning the overdraft rule is yet another giveaway to these big banks and the billionaires who control and run and own them. And I've said before, but it bears repeating, President Trump will always help his billionaire friends at the cost of helping you. Today, I urge my colleagues to vote against this attack on the CFPB. Vote no on Senate Joint Resolution 18,” concluded Blumenthal.
A video of Blumenthal’s full remarks can be found here.
Blumenthal Bulletin
Blumenthal joined Senate Committee Ranking Members in demanding immediate review by agency Inspectors General of the Trump Administration’s mass dismissals of federal employees.
Blumenthal called on the Trump Administration to transfer frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.
Blumenthal pressed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to not take food away from food banks and hungry families.
Blumenthal released a statement on the Supreme Court ruling upholding ghost gun safety measures.
Blumenthal introduced legislation to protect federal whistleblowers.
Blumenthal demanded an independent watchdog investigation into the Trump Administration’s unprecedented attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
Blumenthal condemned Department of Housing and Urban Developments Field Office cuts and urged the reinstatement of civil servants.
Blumenthal called out cuts to the National Fire Academy
Blumenthal slammed cuts to Social Security affecting millions of Americans.
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