MEET RICHARD Blumenthal
"I have never backed down from a fight or failed to put Connecticut first.
No matter how big or powerful the special interest or lawbreaker,
protecting Connecticut’s people is always my top priority and purpose."
— Dick Blumenthal
Senator Richard Blumenthal has always been fearless in standing up for the people of Connecticut, no matter how powerful the foe. As Connecticut’s Senator since 2010, he has taken on the pharmaceutical companies to champion legislation capping the total cost any senior citizen has to pay for prescription drugs, and finally forcing drug companies to negotiate lower prescription prices with Medicare.
Senator Blumenthal has fought the big oil companies . He has pushed to end the billions of dollars they receive in windfall profits and tax giveaways. And as gas prices rose in the last year, he took on President Biden, personally urging him to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which the President then did . Senator Blumenthal has also led the fight to hold big oil companies accountable for their profiteering. Now gas prices are going down.
Senator Blumenthal is a relentless champion for women, repeatedly fighting for the right of women, not government, to make their own health care decisions. Anticipating the disastrous Supreme Court decision overturning Roe, he introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act — to make Roe the law of the land. He will continue to lead the fight against Republican attempts to pass a nationwide abortion ban.
He has worked to lift Connecticut’s workers and businesses — bringing job training and contracts to Electric Boat, fighting successfully for the Restaurant Revitalization fund, and delivering billions to rebuild Connecticut’s roads, bridges, and waterways. His efforts to pass the CHIPS act will enable US companies to stand up to China, make microchips in America, and bring America’s supply chain home.
Having served in the US Marine Corps Reserves, Senator Blumenthal has been a leading champion of veterans. He helped spearhead the PACT Act, recently passed bipartisan legislation that extends healthcare and benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic chemicals in burn pits and elsewhere in Iraq and Afghanistan. Senator Blumenthal also wrote the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, signed into law by President Obama, to confront the heartbreaking epidemic of suicide among veterans.
Senator Blumenthal has stood up to the NRA throughout his career, most recentlyhelping pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first commonsense gun violence prevention legislation in decades. He has worked with Republicans to write red flag provisions allowing law enforcement to separate weapons from people deemed by a court to be dangerous to themselves or others. He will never stop working to get weapons of war off our streets.
As Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Dick Blumenthal is leading the movement to give parents the tools they need to protect their children on the internet and stop Big Tech from pushing harmful content to our kids.
The Senator has long been a champion on consumer issues, whether holding GM accountable for faulty ignitions, removing dangerous children’s cribs removed from the market, or challenging Hertz to stop falsely prosecuting innocent customers. Senator Blumenthal stands up and rights wrongs for consumers.
This advocacy is an extension of Dick Blumenthal’s work as Connecticut’s Attorney General. He took on the tobacco industry and led a 46-state coalition that won a historic victory. He took on the Bush Administration for gutting the Clean Air Act and won.
Senator Blumenthal is married and has four adult children. He grew up in New York City, later moving to Connecticut. His father fled Nazi Germany and came to this country with little more than the shirt on his back. His mother was raised in Nebraska farmland. Together they built a successful life and raised their children with a deep love of America and a commitment to service.
Dick went to Harvard and then Yale Law School. And he served for six years in the Marine Corps Reserve, rising to the rank of sergeant. Before serving in elected office, he was named US Attorney for the District of Connecticut, where he prosecuted drug traffickers, polluters, organized crime, and white-collar criminals.
Service to country. Service to Connecticut. This mission is at the core of who Dick Blumenthal is.
Members of the Senate are responsible for introducing and voting on federal legislation, representing their state, and providing a check on executive power. Key powers include confirming presidential appointments, ratifying treaties, serving on committees, shaping the federal budget, and conducting impeachment trials. Each senator serves a six-year term and represents their entire state.