WASHINGTON – Connecticut lawmakers are skeptical of President Obama’s decision to approve “targeted” airstrikes on militants in Iraq and to drop food, water and medicine to civilians trapped by fighting in the mountains in the north of the country.
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
Murphy is campaign cash poor
WASHINGTON – It’s a good thing for Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., that HE does not have to run for re-election this year because he barely has the money to do so
Posted inHealth, Politics
DeLauro, Blumenthal propose Medicare Advantage change
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Rosa DeLauro are proposing bills that would prevent Medicare Advantage plans from dropping doctors without cause except during open enrollment periods. They explained their idea Monday at a roundtable discussion in Fairhaven.
Posted inNews
Washington Watch — Week of July 27
In the last week of work before Congress’s August recess, there will be a lot of finger-pointing concerning who is responsible for failing to get must-pass legislation approved, including a final highway bill, and legislation that would deal with the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal grills VA nominee — nicely
WASHINGTON – It was a rare bipartisan love fest as Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee questioned Robert McDonald, President Obama’s choice to head the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday.
Posted inEducation
Bridgeport open to taking in immigrant kids
WASHINGTON – Bridgeport is exploring whether it has the facilities that would meet federal requirements to host some of the Central American migrant children who are in overcrowded federal holding centers along the borders, a city spokesman said.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Malloy says ‘no’ to immigrant kids, but others in Connecticut say ‘yes’
Gov. Dannel Malloy on Friday firmly shut the door on the possibility the state would be able to help the federal government find temporary homes for some of a flood of immigrant children from Central America. But that does not mean others in Connecticut are not ready to help.
Posted inNews
Blumenthal touches off political war over abortion bill
WASHINGTON– Sen. Richard Blumenthal touched off a passionate debate on Capitol Hill Tuesday with a hearing on the hot-button issue of abortion, arguing state legislatures have no right to promote laws that limit access to the procedure.
Posted inNews
Saying gun control measures snubbed, Blumenthal, Murphy reject ‘sportsman bill’
Washington – Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy opposed moving ahead on a bill that would, among other things, expand the reach of shooting ranges on federal lands and expedited duck hunting permits, saying Congress should instead vote for gun control.
Posted inNews
Charla Nash leads new push to ban trafficking of apes and monkeys
WASHINGTON – Charla Nash, horribly mauled by a friend’s pet chimpanzee , stepped on a plane for the first time since the 2009 attack to fly to Washington and become a persuasive advocate for efforts to make it it more difficult for someone to own a monkey as a pet.
Posted inNews
Number of long waits for VA healthcare in CT much larger than first reported
WASHINGTON –Since the scandal this spring over long wait times and cover ups of poor performance at veterans’ health facilities, there’s been a sharp upturn in the numbers of Connecticut veterans who have waited more than 30 days to receive medical help.
Posted inEducation, Health, Politics
Murphy, Blumenthal seek reforms to aid thousands of immigrant children
U.S. Sens. Christopher Murphy and Richard Blumenthal called Thursday at the state Capitol for passage of an immigration reform bill they called crucial to safeguard as many as 80,000 children expected to illegally enter the U.S. alone this fiscal year.
Posted inNews
Blumenthal thanks Target for gun policy by becoming customer
Washington – Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday rewarded Target for adopting a new no-guns policy that bars bringing any firearms into its stores by giving the giant retailer some business.
Posted inNews
Connecticut, New York lawmakers try to stop sale of Plum Island
WASHINGTON – Connecticut and New York lawmakers are trying to persuade colleagues on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to repeal legislative language that requires the sale of Plum Island, which environmentalists want to keep as a largely undeveloped natural habitat.
Posted inNews
Junkets or not, taxpayers pick up the tab for CT lawmaker trips
WASHINGTON – Connecticut’s Senators are fairly new to office, but they picked up a congressional tradition in a flash, joining their elders in logging thousands of miles in taxpayer-funded trips to destinations as diverse as Belgium and Egypt.
