U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Armed Services Committee, said Monday that he had doubts about waiving a rule barring President-elect Trump from naming former General James Mattis or any other military officer as defense secretary so soon after retirement.
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, Transportation
CT senators blast Trump’s infrastructure plan, but hope for compromise
WASHINGTON — Connecticut’s senators on Monday joined a growing Democratic chorus of criticism for President-elect Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan, saying it is unrealistic and unworkable and would result in the building and repair of very few roads and bridges.
Posted inPolitics
It’s Black Friday, time for a caution from your U.S. senator
WEST HARTFORD — It’s an enduring Black Friday tradition, right up there with traffic jams, Walmart brawls, cheap electronics and buy-one-get-one sales — the press conference by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on a consumer issue. This year, it was “cyber grinches” who use bots to scoop up hot toys online.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal: Sessions to receive ‘exacting, serious scrutiny’
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee vowed to give Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, tough scrutiny, setting the groundwork for a contentious confirmation hearing.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal no longer top Dem on VA panel
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal has been toppled from his job as the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Posted inNews
Blumenthal: Lame duck need not be lame
WASHINGTON — Congress returns to work this week for a lame-duck session aimed at trying to set aside partisan differences long enough to keep the government from closing. Connecticut’s two Democratic senators also hope some of the state’s priorities will survive in the next six weeks.
Posted inPolitics
CT senators decry Trump’s appointment of Stephen Bannon
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he is “deeply troubled” by the appointment of someone associated with a web site that is “antisemitic, racist and homophobic.”
Posted inPolitics
Trump agenda clashes with that of CT lawmakers
WASHINGTON – The day after Donald Trump’s stunning victory, Connecticut lawmakers said they would give the new president-elect a honeymoon period, but it may be short lived.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal coasts to second term on bad night for Dems
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal handily won re-election Tuesday night but his party failed to win enough seats in the Senate to wrest control from the GOP.
Posted inPolitics
Clinton-Trump battle overshadows CT’s down-ballot races
On the last weekend before voters go to the polls, the same question gnaws at down-ballot candidates from both parties. Are their presidential nominees a help or a hindrance to them? Many say they don’t have a handle on exactly who will turn out on Tuesday.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Politics
Koch brothers, others seek to quash tax break that aids CT fuel cell industry
Connecticut’s fuel cell industry, one of the most robust in the nation, is up against a powerful coalition that includes the Koch brothers and other conservative interest groups who want to end an important tax break for the industry.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal: Comey’s comments ‘cryptic’ and actions ‘highly unusual’
While stepping back from demanding James Comey’s resignation, as some Democrats have done, Blumenthal, a former federal prosecutor, said Comey has a lot of explaining to do about his “cryptic” comments.
Posted inPolitics
Elite group in CT raising millions for Clinton
WASHINGTON — An exclusive group of about two dozen Connecticut residents has raised millions of dollars to help put Hillary Clinton in the White House by “bundling” contributions from friends, associates and anyone else willing to give to the candidate. The Trump campaign has not disclosed its bundlers.
Posted inNews
Oh, yes, WFSB reminds us, there is a campaign for U.S. Senate
For a televised hour on Sunday, Republican Dan Carter occupied a rare patch of level ground in his steeply uphill race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal: They stood side by side at identical lecterns in their only scheduled debate.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal-Carter contest a quiet race in a stormy election year
WASHINGTON — While the odds that Sen. Richard Blumenthal will be re-elected are among the highest in this year’s U.S. Senate races, he’s also under constant fire from a Republican opponent, state Rep. Dan Carter, who has laid siege to the popular Democrat.