Connecticut’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, said Tuesday they will attend the inauguration Friday of Donald J. Trump as an endorsement of the peaceful transfer of power, even as they plan to fight many of the Republican president-elect’s policies and cabinet choices.
Richard Blumenthal
Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator, was first elected in 2011. Sen. Blumenthal has supported stricter gun legislation and support for veterans.
Posted inPolitics
Despite CT lawmakers’ opposition, Congress approves Mattis waiver
WASHINGTON — Despite opposition from every member of the Connecticut congressional delegation, a bill containing a waiver that would let retired Gen. James Mattis serve as defense secretary is on its way to President Obama, who says he will sign it.
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CT lawmakers vote against waiver for defense secretary nominee Mattis
WASHINGTON — Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Thursday voted against granting retired Marine Gen. James Mattis a waiver that would allow him to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of defense. Blumenthal was only one of three members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to vote against a waiver.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal presses Sessions on his links to controversial groups
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal provoked one of the liveliest exchanges in the day-long confirmation hearing of Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for attorney general, by pressing him on his links to controversial groups who have given him awards.
Posted inPolitics
Rail overhaul plan is both a winner and a loser in CT
WASHINGTON — Connecticut officials have been more critical than those in any other state of the Federal Railroad Administration’s plan to overhaul train service in the Northeast Corridor, yet some of its strongest critics admit they like much of the plan.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal, CT House members, sworn in on fractious first day of Congress
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal was sworn in to his second six-year term in the U.S. Senate, and all five Democratic House members from Connecticut began a new term as well, as the 115th Congress was gaveled in on Tuesday.
Posted inNews
Navy boosts projections for Virginia-class submarines
WASHINGTON — The Navy on Friday sharply increased its projections for how many Virginia-class attack submarines it needs from 48 to 66 – opening the door to boosting production to three subs a year. “It’s the first time the Navy has taken a new look at submarines since 2004, and it’s long overdue,” said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District.
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Blumenthal says Senate may reject some Trump cabinet picks
WASHINGTON – Some of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for cabinet positions may not be able to win Senate approval, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Thursday.
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Newtown activists come to an election-changed Washington
WASHINGTON — On their first pilgrimage here since the election, relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and other incidents of gun violence and their allies asked President-elect Donald Trump to abandon his hard-line stance against gun control. But chances of that are slim.
Posted inPolitics
Capitol Hill vigil for Sandy Hook victims unites activists
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has been a catalyst for mobilizing family members of gun violence victims, and its anniversary has become the day to gather to support each other.
Posted inHealth, Politics
As states vie for new opioid-fighting grants, Blumenthal puts CT in the mix
WASHINGTON — No sooner was the ink dry on President Obama’s signature on the 21st Century Cures Act than states, including Connecticut, started competing for new law’s $1 billion in grants to fight opioid addiction.
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Is the F-35 stealth fighter vulnerable to a Trump tweet?
One of Connecticut’s U.S. senators insists he won’t jump at every tweet by President-elect Donald J. Trump. But the other says he could not ignore what he took as Trump’s suggestion Monday that production of the F-35 fighter, the source of thousands of job in Connecticut and air superiority for the U.S. and its allies, might be reduced or abandoned.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal tells Sessions to abstain from voting on his own confirmation
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Thursday told Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump’s candidate to be the next U.S. attorney general, that he should not vote on his confirmation – or that of other cabinet candidates.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Senate approves Murphy mental health bill
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy had a significant win Wednesday as the Senate gave final approval to a bill that included his legislation to overhaul the mental health system. “For all the downsides about this job, this is one of those moments that keeps you coming back,” he said.
Posted inPolitics
CT lawmakers torn between funds for subs and waiver for Mattis
WASHINGTON – A stopgap measure to fund the federal government would allow work to continue on a new Connecticut-built ballistic missile submarine while also expediting the controversial nomination of retired Gen. James N. Mattis as the next secretary of defense, posing a tough choice for Connecticut’s lawmakers.