{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senator-blumenthal-week-in-review-8/14/2026-8/21/2026", "Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 8/14/2026-8/21/2026", "2026-08-21", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "Calling on FEMA to Address Staffing Shortages\n\n[Hartford, CT] \u2013 U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote to the new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Cameron Hamilton demanding answers about how he plans to address critical staffing shortages at the agency.\n\nSince the start of President Trump\u2019s second term, FEMA has lost a staggering 20 percent of its staff. A recent GAO report found that FEMA prioritized workforce reductions over ensuring that it had the staffing capacity to respond to current or future disasters. Region 1, which serves Connecticut, lost 292 employees \u2013 12% of its staff \u2013 just from workforce reduction efforts.\n\n\u201cI appreciated your acknowledgement during your confirmation hearing of the challenges FEMA faces because of President Trump\u2019s drastic staff cuts. Now that you are confirmed, you are responsible for confronting those challenges. Please provide, in writing, your plan to address the staffing cuts agency-wide, and especially in Region 1, and how you plan to ensure FEMA is fully prepared to support Americans this hurricane season and beyond,\u201d Blumenthal wrote.\n\nIn August 2024, Connecticut suffered devastating flooding that killed two people and destroyed countless homes and businesses. FEMA was on the ground within days and was crucial to supporting towns and homeowners as they rebuilt roads, bridges, homes and other infrastructure. Trump\u2019s draconian staffing cuts to FEMA raise serious questions about how prepared the agency would be to respond to a similar disaster.\n\n\u201cWe owe it to the American people to ensure FEMA has the resources and staff necessary as it works with communities across the country to prepare for, and respond to, natural disasters,\u201d Blumenthal also wrote.\n\nBlumenthal sharply questioned Hamilton about staffing cuts during his June 17, 2026 U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing. Video of the exchange is available here.\n\nA copy of Blumenthal\u2019s letter to Hamilton is available here.\n\nBlumenthal and Governor Ned Lamont held a press conference in Hartford demanding Hamilton address staffing shortages caused by the Trump Administration\u2019s reckless workforce reduction efforts\u2014especially as Atlantic hurricane season begins.\n\n\u201cThe heroism of the people of Connecticut in the wake of these storms should be matched by the relief that is provided by FEMA. FEMA is the disaster relief and recovery agency of the federal government, and it has performed incredible service here in Connecticut in the wake of these storms. They are essential to recovery and relief from disasters. We are now beginning the hurricane season,\u201d said Blumenthal at the press conference. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t stop the decimation of FEMA in massive cuts, draconian reductions in staff that now leave FEMA short-staffed, under resourced. I am demanding of the new FEMA Administrator that he provide a plan for how they\u2019re going to compensate for the loss of trained and experienced staff\u2014how they\u2019re going to replenish those resources and meet the needs of the Northeast region.\u201d\n\nBlumenthal further amplified his calls for FEMA to address staffing shortages on Twitter/X.\n\n\u201cTrump\u2019s draconian FEMA staff cuts of 20% or more nationally have left CT vulnerable at the height of hurricane season. I\u2019m demanding the new FEMA head to restore staff & resources\u2014vital to both resilience & recovery. Thankful for Gov. Lamont\u2019s support & leadership,\u201d wrote Blumental on Twitter/X.\n\nDemanding Answers from Hegseth Following Leadership Shake-Up at Stars & Stripes\n\nBlumenthal along with U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), senior members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, are demanding answers from the Department of Defense on the recent placement of an active-duty servicemember to serve as a \u201cdeputy\u201d to the publisher at Stars and Stripes, a newspaper that has maintained editorial independence since the Civil War. Following the Department\u2019s decision, Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer announced Tuesday he will retire after more than three decades at the newspaper, citing fundamental differences between his understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes and the Department\u2019s plans for the organization.\n\n\u201cThe placement of an active-duty Public Affairs officer in the senior leadership of an organization whose credibility depends on its independence from the military chain of command raises serious questions,\u201d the Senators wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. \u201cMr. Lederer\u2019s abrupt departure only heightens those concerns, particularly as the Department determines who will assume leadership of Stars and Stripes. This is particularly troubling in light of the Department\u2019s recent actions affecting Stars and Stripes, including the April firing of independent Ombudsman Jacqueline Smith after she publicly defended the newspaper\u2019s editorial independence and communicated concerns to Congress.\u201d\n\nThe Senators demanded answers on whether this active duty servicemember will serve as the acting or permanent Publisher following Mr. Lederer\u2019s departure, and what process the Department will use to select Mr. Lederer\u2019s successor. The Trump Administration has increasingly taken aim at controlling Stars and Stripes as part of its larger efforts to restrict freedom of press at the Pentagon.\n\nIn January, Stars and Stripes job applicants were asked to explain how they would advance the Administration\u2019s policy priorities, and the Pentagon\u2019s top public affairs official announced plans to overhaul the newspaper. In March, the Pentagon further accused the newspaper of focusing on \u201cwoke distractions\u201d and imposed new restrictions on the independent publication. In April, the Department fired Stars and Stripes ombudsman Jacqueline Smith\u2014a non-partial watchdog charged with monitoring the paper\u2019s independence.\n\nThe Senators concluded: \u201cFor generations, American servicemembers, particularly those stationed overseas and in combat zones, have relied on Stars and Stripes for credible and independent news. That trust depends on preserving a clear separation between independent journalism and the Department\u2019s public affairs apparatus. At this critical moment of leadership transition, that independence must not be compromised.\u201d\n\nIn June, Senators Blumenthal and Shaheen secured a provision to codify the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027. The Senators\u2019 language would deliver landmark protections for the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes\u2014ensuring the newspaper remains free from censorship, propaganda, and interference from the Pentagon. The provision\u2019s language comes from the Senators\u2019 Stars and Stripes Editorial Independence Act\u2014legislation that clarifies Stars and Stripes\u2019 editorial operations are independent of the military chain of command, military public affairs activities, or other external influences.\n\nThe full text of the Senators\u2019 letter is available here.\n\nBlumenthal further slammed the Department of Defense\u2019s installation of an active-duty Navy captain in a leadership role at Stars and Stripes on Twitter/X.\n\n\u201cInstalling an active-duty Navy captain in a leadership role at Stars & Stripes immensely erodes the publication's independence.As a crucial news source for American servicemembers, we must protect Stars & Stripes from the Trump Administration's political interference. Stars & Stripes was instrumental in informing us about deteriorating conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Its independence is central to its speaking truth to power,\u201d wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.\n\nRallying for Servicemembers Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln\n\nBlumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined Connecticut veterans rallying in solidarity with the servicemembers stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln following reports that the aircraft carrier\u2019s crew has endured deteriorating and untenable conditions aboard.\n\nWidespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns and disruptions to the mail system have prompted Blumenthal and Senate Armed Services Committee members to demand answers from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Connecticut veterans rallied to show support for the USS Abraham Lincoln\u2019s crew and to demand answers from the Department of Defense.\n\nThe USS Abraham Lincoln, along with its crew of about 5,000 sailors, began its journey home to San Diego on Thursday after nine months of deployment.\n\n\u201cOur servicemen and women know they\u2019re going to face hardship when they raise their right hand and agree to serve\u2014but not hardships that are added by their own leadership. As worried and outraged as we should be by the treatment of these sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln, even more so, Americans should be outraged by the reaction of the President of the United States,\u201d said Blumenthal at the rally. \u201cMy hope is that the outrage of America will cause our leadership in the military, and most particularly our Commander in Chief, to recognize the responsibility that they have.\u201d\n\nBlumenthal further called for support for the sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Twitter/X.\n\n\u201cSailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln endure deteriorating, untenable conditions. Proud to stand with CT veterans calling on the Trump Administration to do right by these heroes,\u201d wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.\n\nBlumenthal joined CNN\u2019s Jake Tapper to discuss the ship\u2019s long deployment and to urge support from the Trump Administration for the ship\u2019s servicemembers.\n\nIn light of the USS Abraham Lincoln\u2019s prolonged deployment, dwindling supplies, and poor conditions, Blumenthal wrote to Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao about the growing strain on the Navy's aircraft carrier force. Blumenthal requested information regarding the Department of Defense\u2019s long-term plan to sustain carrier readiness amid increasingly prolonged and unpredictable deployments.\n\n\u201cThe Navy has only 11 aircraft carriers to meet demands around the world. Keeping carriers at sea beyond planned schedules not only strains sailors and equipment, but can increase maintenance requirements and delay the training and deployment schedules of the ships needed to replace them,\u201d wrote Blumenthal. \u201cThe war with Iran has made sustaining these deployments even more difficult. If the Department intends to maintain substantial carrier forces in the region for an indefinite period, it must have a logistics and sustainment plan capable of supporting those forces even when normal port access is unavailable or unsafe.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe question before the Department is therefore not simply whether a carrier strike group can endure an exceptionally long deployment. It is whether the Navy has a sustainable force-generation model that can maintain carrier readiness, material condition, and crew welfare when operational requirements repeatedly exceed planned deployment cycles. The Navy cannot solve persistent demand for carriers simply by extending one ship and then sending another to relieve it. Doing so risks borrowing readiness from tomorrow to meet today's demands,\u201d concluded Blumenthal.\n\nA copy of the letter can be found here.\n\nDemanding Federal Action to Lower Electricity Costs\n\nBlumenthal introduced The Affordable Electricity Rates Act of 2026, a bill to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider affordability when setting transmission rates. Transmission rates comprise 15 percent of your electricity bill, and Blumenthal\u2019s legislation would prohibit any rate increases or charges that would increase overall electricity prices by over 5 percent.\n\n\u201cFERC has been anemic in its oversight of electricity costs. Connecticut consumers pay too much for electricity and federal authorities have done too little to protect them from rising costs by utility companies. I\u2019m proud to introduce the Affordable Electricity Rates Act of 2026 to compel FERC to consider affordability when setting transmission rates and prohibit costly rate increases that burden consumers,\u201d Blumenthal said.\n\nBlumenthal\u2019s bill amends Section 210 of the Federal Power Act to require FERC to consider whether a rate or charge is likely to result in retail electricity prices that are unaffordable for consumers and then prohibiting any rate or charge that is unaffordable by considering it as not \u201cjust and reasonable\u201d which is FERC\u2019s current standard. The legislation also has a presumption of unaffordability for any transmission rate that would increase overall electricity prices by over 5%.\n\nIn addition to the legislation, Blumenthal wrote to FERC demanding strong oversight of asset condition projects. These projects are initiated at the discretion of the transmission company, such as Eversource, and they received a presumption from FERC that they are necessary. In many cases, organizations like Eversource repair their infrastructure or replace full transmission lines when it isn\u2019t needed and consumers are left footing the bill.\n\nTransmission owners are investing heavily in these types of projects. In fact, spending on asset condition projects represents 73 percent of the annual amount that transmission owners spend on all capital projects in New England.\n\nEnergy costs in Connecticut are already extraordinarily high, and Connecticut consumers pay for a portion of the costs of all transmission projects throughout the ISO-New England region. The number of these transmission projects have skyrocketed, in large part because the return on investment percentages for the utility companies are higher than for other projects.\n\nIn a letter to FERC, Blumenthal cites Eversource\u2019s X-178 transmission project in New Hampshire as a perfect example of why FERC oversight is needed. While only 10% of the transmission lines need to be repairs, Eversource is replacing 580 poles and 49 miles of transmission lines to the tune of $360 million. Connecticut\u2019s share of that is expected to be $79.9 million.\n\n\u201cFor too long, transmission owners have exploited weak oversight to make unnecessary and expensive upgrades. Since 2018, transmission organizations in New England have spent twice the amount of money on asset condition projects as they have on new reliability projects \u2013 to the tune of $4.1 billion. The costs of these projects \u2013 which are initiated at the sole discretion of a transmission organization \u2013 are passed onto ratepayers across the entire ISO-NE region, with Connecticut residents paying 25% of all costs for projects that affect the regional grid, even for projects located in another state, like the X-178 transmission project,\u201d Blumenthal wrote.\n\nBlumenthal held a press conference in New Haven to demand action from FERC to keep electricity prices low for Connecticut consumers and to discuss his letter calling for increased oversight of the planning process for regional transmission projects. Blumenthal urged FERC oversight to make sure all repairs are necessary and not simply being done to pad utility company\u2019s pockets.\n\n\u201cElectricity consumers should be angry\u2014not just at state regulators, but federal authorities for doing too little to protect them from financial abuse by electricity utilities. The work by the federal authorities has been anemic. FERC, the primary federal authority has been anemic in its scrutiny and oversight. I am writing a letter asking that FERC do more and do it more promptly and aggressively to stop these hikes in electricity prices,\u201d said Blumenthal at the press conference.\n\nBlumenthal further called on FERC to do more to protect Connecticut consumers from skyrocketing electricity prices on Twitter/X.\n\n\u201cCT consumers pay too much for electricity\u2014& federal authorities have done too little to protect them from utilities overcharging. I\u2019m demanding FERC act now to spare CT families unfair unaffordable burdens of high-cost projects,\u201d wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.\n\nBlumenthal Bulletin\n\nBlumenthal called on Trump to reverse a costly directive restoring outdated technology on aircraft carriers.\n\nBlumenthal demanded answers after an unqualified organization with close ties to ICE received a no-bid contract to provide legal services to migrant children.\n\nBlumenthal introduced a bicameral bill protecting domestic violence survivors from gun violence.\n\nBlumenthal slammed Trump\u2019s nomination for FDA Commissioner.\n\nBlumenthal visited Pitney Bowes.\n\nBlumenthal slammed the Trump Administration\u2019s zeroing out of teen pregnancy prevention programs.\n\nBlumenthal urged back-to-school traffic safety.\n\nBlumenthal called for federal help to restore Lighthouse Point Park\u2019s historic carousel building.\n\nBlumenthal urged CPSC to investigate NeeDohs and other gel-filled toys after a viral trend microwaving NeeDohs has left children with severe burns.\n\nBlumenthal visited West Haven\u2019s Farmers Market.\n\nBlumenthal joined a welcome home event for 180 National Guard of 1/102nd Infantry Battalion (Mountain) deployed in the Middle East for 9 months on counter-drone and other demanding defense.\n\nBlumenthal joined a pinning ceremony for graduates of the Harriott Community Healthcare Academy Certified Nursing Assistant program.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-08-22T05:24:59Z", "2026-08-22T05:26:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senator-blumenthal-week-in-review-8/14/2026-8/21/2026"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5831200871616602, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}