Originally sworn in on January 5, 2011, Richard Blumenthal is serving his second term as a United States Senator from the State of Connecticut.
With a father who fled Nazi Germany at age 18, and a mother who left Nebraska’s farmland to become a social worker, Richard Blumenthal was raised with a deep dedication to public service, a duty to give back by helping others, and a bedrock belief in hard work.
Those values carried him through his childhood and his education at Harvard College (Editorial Chairman The Harvard Crimson, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude), and Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal. To a year working as assistant to Daniel Patrick Moynihan when he was Assistant to the President of the United States. And to enlisting in the United States Marine Corps Reserves in 1970. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1976.
Senator Blumenthal is committed to fighting for true justice and equality for all Americans. He maintains an unwavering belief that everyone should enjoy equal treatment under the law, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, age, or zip code. Senator Blumenthal has championed a wide range of legislation affirming Americans’ civil rights, including bills that combat racial profiling, prohibit discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and further the right to privacy.
As Chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, Senator Blumenthal is one of the most committed, longstanding consumer protection advocates in Congress. He is deeply dedicated to safeguarding consumers from companies’ negligence, protecting people from hazardous household items, and stopping scams and fraud. Senator Blumenthal fights for the interests of consumers and works tirelessly to hold companies accountable for the safety of their products.
Senator Blumenthal believes all Americans should have equal opportunities to provide for their families and receive fair compensation and benefits for their hard work. Senator Blumenthal is a longtime advocate for safety in the workplace, as well as the right to organize and collectively bargain. He strongly supports fair reforms to ensure Americans have equitable access to safe and affordable housing. Senator Blumenthal has also fought to increase the economic opportunities available to Connecticut businesses and support the economic development of minority and underserved communities.
advocate on behalf of teachers and students. He has championed efforts to hold for-profit institutions of higher education accountable when they take advantage of vulnerable students. Senator Blumenthal will continue to push for investment in programs that promote students’ success, like reforms to student loans and access to mental health support. All students should have access to high quality, equitable, and affordable education.
Throughout his time in Congress, Senator Blumenthal has been a strong supporter of environmental protection efforts and policies that safeguard our planet. As the climate crisis continues, Senator Blumenthal believes it is the duty of Congress to help mitigate our country’s impact on the environment by taking actionable, commonsense steps. He will keep fighting to strengthen access to clean water and air, ensure conservation efforts are adequately funded, support the expansion of projects to eliminate food waste, and protect Americans from environmental injustice. To improve the health of our planet, Senator Blumenthal understands that the federal government must take an active role in defending and protecting our environment.
Senator Blumenthal firmly believes gender equality is a human right. During his career in public service, he has worked to ensure all people can fully participate in American life, regardless of their gender. True gender equality includes the right to choose whether and when to have a child. Senator Blumenthal is committed to continuing the fight to protect access to safe and legal reproductive care for all people, no matter their zip codes. Gender equality also means the right to be safe from sexual and gender-based violence. Senator Blumenthal will continue to stand up for survivors and fight tirelessly to stop the insidious cycle of domestic violence.
Senator Blumenthal is committed to enacting commonsense gun violence prevention measures that will save lives and honor with action those whose lives were taken by gun violence. Senator Blumenthal has led—and continues to lead—the charge to close glaring loopholes in federal law that allow dangerous individuals to purchase and own firearms. He also is fighting against deadly and untraceable ghost guns, and working to hold the corrupt gun lobby accountable. Senator Blumenthal will never stop pushing for commonsense gun violence prevention measures because he believes that enough is enough.
Senator Blumenthal has fought tirelessly to ensure all individuals have access to affordable, quality health care coverage. He has worked to protect and improve the Affordable Care Act and supports efforts to guarantee universal health care for all. Senator Blumenthal is dedicated to lowering the cost of prescription drugs, protecting children from the dangers of e-cigarettes and tobacco, safeguarding reproductive rights, and bringing about a more equitable health care system. As we work toward ending this pandemic and confront other, ongoing threats to our health, like climate change, Senator Blumenthal believes investment in public health must be one of our nation’s top priorities.
Senator Blumenthal believes the United States is proudly a nation of immigrants, and that immigrants have made—and will continue to make—our country the greatest nation in the world. He has fought to bring comprehensive reform to our immigration laws, including an expanded and reformed visa and green card system, measures that crack down on immigration abuse and fraud, and an earned path to citizenship. As one of the Senate’s strongest supporters of those seeking refuge and asylum, Senator Blumenthal has consistently fought to protect and expand programs that make the United States a beacon of hope across the world.
Senator Blumenthal supports major, historic investment in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. We must continue to rebuild and repair Connecticut’s existing roads, bridges, airports, and maritime ports, as well as bring our transportation, water, and energy infrastructure into the twenty-first century. As a senior member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senator Blumenthal is a tireless advocate for developing and implementing new infrastructure initiatives and modern transportation systems. He has also fought for increased reliability and service along the Northeast Corridor—the most vital rail artery in the United States. In the Senate, he has been a leader in advancing considerable, innovative federal transportation funding to complete critical projects faster and employ more of our citizens.
Senator Blumenthal has been a long time leader in the fight to protect people’s right to privacy against intrusions by large corporations, cyber criminals, and governments. Senator Blumenthal has challenged Big Tech for its rampant commercial surveillance, mishandling, and misuse of our private information. He has vigorously fought for a national consumer privacy law that would set limits on how companies use our data and impose obligations on how they secure that sensitive information. Senator Blumenthal has also pushed to modernize our laws and defenses to stop, deter, and punish cyber criminals and foreign governments that hack and meddle to defraud consumers, threaten our national security, and undermine our democracy.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senator Blumenthal is committed to protecting U.S. national security and providing servicemembers and their families with the resources they need to defend our nation. Senator Blumenthal believes a strong military and close cooperation with allies are critical to defending American security interests and confronting the shared global challenges we face. Through the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), he champions comprehensive benefits to support servicemembers and military families during and after their service. He is also proud to represent the Connecticut defense industrial base workforce, from large prime contractors to small businesses within the supply chain.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Senator Blumenthal has prioritized the expansion of veterans’ access to health care and benefits while making sure proper oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in place. He has spearheaded legislation to address veterans’ concerns, including employment, pensions, housing, infrastructure, education, vocational training, and health care. Senator Blumenthal believes the VA has to meet the physical and mental health care needs of all veterans, including those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma. The VA must also address the needs of the growing minority and women veteran populations. Senator Blumenthal is committed to securing robust funding to improve VA Connecticut infrastructure to ensure Connecticut’s veterans receive excellent care in state-of-the-art facilities.
I have fought to ensure that homeowners and renters are treated fairly by banks and other lenders. As the federal government considers further changes to the mortgage market, Congress must ensure that middle class families are still able to realize the dream of homeownership. I will continue my work to support Connecticut’s housing industry and protect Connecticut homeowners and families.
Legislation
I successfully led efforts to ensure that elderly widows are able to avoid foreclosure after the death of their spouse. I introduced the Permanently Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act to protect tenants from being abruptly kicked out of their homes through no fault of their own.
In order to keep faith with the military personnel who serve our country, I also introduced a bill to prohibit landlords from discriminating against tenants on the basis of their military service.
Investing in critical infrastructure projects will help create thousands of good-paying jobs in Connecticut and across the United States. I support President Obama’s proposal to upgrade our nation’s transit, highways, and rail infrastructure and is committed to ensuring that every dollar Connecticut receives from the federal government for transportation and infrastructure funding be used to maximize job creation.
Commuter Transit
In light of recent rail related incidents along Metro North’s New Haven line, I strongly believe significant investment in our rail infrastructure is vital to stopping severe service disruptions and passenger injuries and loss of life. We should not tolerate repeated breakdowns and derailments. These unfortunate incidents discourage reliance on rail, pushing more cars onto our crowded highways, and impact job growth as companies elect to locate elsewhere. I believe that the federal government must take a leading role in this area through steps like a rail trust fund and infrastructure bank. Commuters deserve a world-class passenger rail system that is both safe and reliable for all.
Another important investment of this type is the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) high-speed rail line that will create jobs, reduce congestion on our roads, and enhance transit-oriented development. The NHHS high speed rail line will create an estimated 4,710 construction-related jobs, over 8,000 total jobs, and save over 3.5 million gallons of fuel a year. Connecticut’s strong, continued commitment to improving high-speed rail is a critical piece of our state’s economic development plan. I have worked with my colleagues to advance and gain funding for this important project.
Preserving and protecting a woman's right to health care, as well as advocating for legislation on domestic violence and campus sexual assault, have been consistent priorities throughout my service in public office.
Health Care
Throughout my career, I have fought vigorously to protect a woman’s right to choose, and to preserve access to critical family planning services. As Senator, I introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2013, a landmark piece of legislation intended to keep politicians out of personal health care decisions. The Women’s Health Protection Act creates federal protections against state restrictions that fail to protect women’s health and intrude upon personal decision-making. It promotes and protects a woman’s individual constitutional rights, no matter where she lives.
Domestic Violence
The scourge of domestic violence—an issue that affects 1 in 4 women nationwide -- has also been a focus of my efforts. The Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act, that I introduced, would restrict those under temporary restraining order from purchasing or possessing a firearm, and would extend the protections granted domestic violence victims to victims abused by their dating partners.
Campus Sexual Assault
In 2014, I hosted 14 campus roundtables throughout Connecticut on the issue of campus sexual assault. With input from hundreds of college administrators, students, faculty, advocates and law enforcement, we released a college sexual assault report and bill of rights to help increase safety and accountability on college campuses. The report outlined specific steps to ensure students are provided the protections contained in the bill of rights, and offered several model programs currently being implemented on some state campuses.
In addition, I worked with my colleagues Senators Gillibrand and McCaskill to craft and introduce the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The bill aims to address the issue of campus sexual assault by setting financial penalties for schools that don’t file criminal reports, sets training standards for on-campus staff in dealing with victims, and more.
In the United States, those who work hard should expect fair wages, safety in the workplace, and the right to organize and collectively bargain. That is why I fought for a higher minimum wage, expanded paid sick leave requirements, and stronger workplace safety rules. The best workplaces are those where respect and cooperation exist between employers and employees, and I believe the federal government should promote and foster an educated, engaged, and empowered workforce.
Legislation
If we want to strengthen our economic recovery, we must also make sure that individuals whose jobs have been lost can re-train and prepare themselves to be re-employed. That is why I introduced the Pathways Back to Work Act, which would fund new training and employment opportunities for both young people and the long-term unemployed.