Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 4/24/2026-5/1/2026

Grilling Secretary Hegseth on the Cost of War

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - At a Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) questioned Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth about the Trump Administration's commitment to doing right by our nation's veterans with the Major Richard Star Act, bipartisan legislation to fix an injustice preventing combat-injured veterans from receiving their full military benefits. Currently, only veterans with disability ratings above 50 percent and more than 20 years of service are eligible to receive the full amount of their DoD retirement and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability payments-leaving behind more than 50,000 combat-injured military retirees.

Hegseth pledged the Department's support for the legislation following pressure from Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. This bipartisan legislation has been blocked twice in the last year by Senate Republican leadership.

"I want to talk about the cost of war. The cost of war includes caring for our veterans," Blumenthal said.

"We had an estimate from Mr. Hurst yesterday that the cost to date in dollars for this war has been $25 billion…But we also know that about 400 service members have been wounded as a result of this war. When they retire, when they come home, their retirement pay will be docked dollar for dollar for every disability benefit dollar they receive."

"Secretary Hegseth, I'd like your commitment that you will support the Major Richard Star Act. It will eliminate this wounded warrior tax. I am sure you are familiar with it. Tens of thousands of servicemen and women now are reduced in their retirement pay, literally, for every dollar of disability benefits they receive."

"As I have said in the past to other organizations, we support the Richard Star Act," replied Hegseth.

Later in the hearing, Blumenthal emphasized the need to get the legislation across the finish line by Veterans Day to Hegseth and noted he will look to the Secretary to ensure the legislation becomes law.

A video of Blumenthal's remarks regarding the Major Richard Star Act are available here.

Blumenthal further called for support for the Major Richard Star Act on Twitter/X.

"The costs of war include caring for our veterans. I pushed Sec. Hegseth to pledge his support for the Major Richard Star Act-vital legislation to eliminate the wounded warrior tax," wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal also pressed Hegseth on the Trump Administration's response to the war in Ukraine, calling for more support for the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russia's invasion.

"Let me ask you, the President said that Ukraine has been 'militarily defeated.' I assume you don't agree with that assessment?" said Blumenthal. "I would submit, based on my nine trips to Ukraine, that is a false narrative that the President is buying from Vladimir Putin. I hope that you will dispute it because it is the people of Ukraine who are fighting for their survival, with no help from the Administration. And they are bravely fighting our fight-and that is the reason that I am pursuing the Russian sanctions bill."

Video of Blumenthal's remarks regarding Ukraine are available here.

Blumenthal joined MS NOW to share his reactions to Hegseth's performance during the Hearing-citing his inability to provide clear, meaningful answers.

"I think the most generous thing I can say about is performance today was that it verged on incompetence," Blumenthal said about Hegseth's appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "His response to perfectly proper questions about the amounts of the costs, the impact on our economy, was to lash out at the questioners. He called us defeatist, he said the press was incompetent, he blamed a lot on Biden, and he refused-absolutely refused-to answer with what the costs are. They're either hiding what they know, or they don't know. And I would say both are totally unacceptable for the Secretary of Defense."

Video of Blumenthal's full interview is available here.

Protecting Children from Abusive AI Chatbots

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved bipartisan legislation authored by Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) to protect children from AI chatbots. This legislation would ban AI companions for minors, mandate AI chatbots disclose their non-human status, and create new crimes for companies who make sexually explicit AI chatbots, or AI chatbots that coerce young people to take their own lives or commit other kinds of violence.

"We've learned a lesson we can't rely on social media to regulate itself, "trust us, trust us," I'm done with "trust us," We can't trust the Big Tech companies or AI enterprises to have a conscience and follow the dictates of that conscience," said Blumenthal, a member of the Judiciary Committee, at today's markup.

"This issue is a matter of life or death and I want to join in thanking the parents who are here today, but literally many, many others who have demonstrated the kind of leadership and bravery to take some good from the pain that they have suffered."

The full video of Blumenthal's remarks is available here.

Blumenthal further called for improved protections for children online with his GUARD Act on Twitter/X.

"AI companies are using our kids as guinea pigs to pad their bottom line. Senator Hawley & I have heard from countless parents & children who were victimized by chatbots that became manipulative & predatory, abusing young users. The time is now to pass the GUARD Act. I am proud that today, the Senate Judiciary Committee took a critical step forward in putting up some overdue safeguards & moving this bill to the floor. My message to AI CEOs is this: you promised that you would work with us on guardrails for your technology, & now is the time to put your money where your mouth is & help us get this bill signed into law," wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal also shared a piece on his Substack highlighting the need for legislation to bolster children's online safety and calling out Big Tech's role in harming our nation's children.

"One of the biggest dangers facing kids today is Big Tech's exploitative, addictive algorithms, working to keep kids scrolling, clicking ads, and sharing every detail of their lives. Big Tech prioritizes profits over safety and refuses to protect our children-so it's time for action," wrote Blumenthal. "As lawmakers, there is nothing more fundamental than protecting our children. They're our future. I may be a United States Senator, but my main accomplishment in life is that I am a father. There is nothing partisan about protecting children from gut-wrenching harms caused by Big Tech's exploitation.

Subscribe to Blumenthal's Substack here.

On the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee

At a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing this week to consider pending legislation, Ranking Member Blumenthal pressed VA Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits Margarita Devlin for greater transparency surrounding the Department's decision to expand or remove benefits for toxic exposure-related conditions. Previous reporting revealed the Trump Administration secretly rolled back benefits for a presumptive condition established under the landmark PACT Act for toxic-exposed veterans.

"Ms. Devlin, my Presumptive CLARITY Act requires the VA to publish information about conditions and cohorts it is considering for the purpose of removing toxic exposure-related benefits. It requires VA to educate veterans on how to participate in the PACT Act, which I found is desperately necessary, because not enough veterans are aware of it. Do you agree that the VA should provide transparent and proactive notification when it makes significant changes to presumptive benefits and notify more veterans about the PACT Act?"

When Devlin responded that VA already publishes these changes in the Federal Register, Blumenthal quipped: "With all due respect, I don't know too many veterans who read the Federal Register on a regular basis. Can't more be done?"

Witnesses from the second panel also shared their support for the Senator's Presumptive CLARITY Act. Jennifer Goodale, Director of Government Relations for Veteran and Retired Affairs at Military Officers Association of America, built off Blumenthal's earlier comments and emphasized the need for greater transparency: "…[T]here are not a lot of veterans that are consistently check the federal register. We agree there has got to be a better way to share a very clear outlook of what's being considered, what cohorts and conditions, when it comes to presumptives."

Blumenthal introduced the Presumptive CLARITY Act in November to require VA to establish a public-facing website to educate toxic-exposed veterans on the processes it uses to determine which conditions are related to military toxic exposures. This would ensure veterans know if VA plans to add or remove their exposure or condition as a presumptive and instruct veterans on how they can provide input. Currently, VA lacks a consolidated website where veterans can access this information.

A video of Blumenthal's remarks is available here.

Blumenthal further called for transparency over the PACT Act presumptive process on Twitter/X.

"There has to be a better way than the Federal Register to let veterans know they are eligible for PACT Act benefits. I pressed the VA to urgently provide more proactive outreach to veterans," wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Slamming the Trump Administration's Corruption of Science

Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), delivered an opening statement at a Subcommittee hearing about vaccine research. The hearing, convened by PSI Republicans, comes after the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya interfered with the publication of a study demonstrating that COVID-19 vaccination significantly reduced the likelihood of hospitalization and emergency room visits during the most recent respiratory virus season.

"Everything that's been said, I think we ought to remember what it was like during the height of the COVID pandemic. Literally the fear, the death, the loss, and then the relief as a result of Operation Warp Speed, which President Trump ordered in having a vaccine that gave people hope. And many people life. At the same time, none of the relief or hope enabled loved ones to come back. They lost lives, and families had their lives upended," Blumenthal said during the hearing.

The hearing featured testimony from Maria Young, a Maryland resident who contracted COVID-19 in October 2020 before vaccines were available.

"We are fortunate to have with us, Maria Young. Thank you for coming here today, who spent many days in a hospital, close to 70 days in intensive care. Most lives were forever changed as a result, but the vaccine offered a path forward for so many people, and we should be thankful for Operation Warp Speed," Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal underscored the ways in which the Trump Administration has politicized science and undermined public health, "There is also a really deep irony in the Majority's argument, given the current Administration's overt efforts to skew science and undermine public health. Last week, I wrote to the acting CDC director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, about reports that he has blocked publication of a recent study showing that COVID-19 vaccines were extremely effective at preventing hospitalizations last winter."

"I fear that this Administration's actions to politicize science, to slash scientific funding, and to expel talented scientists are doing irreparable harm to our nation's ability to counter the next pandemic. The threat remains real and present, and we must respect science and encourage our scientists to continue to do their work," Blumenthal concluded.

A video of Blumenthal's opening statement is available here. A video of Maria Young's testimony is available here.

Blumenthal further amplified Maria Young's story on Twitter/X.

"Maria Young shares her story of strength regaining her life after battling COVID-19, spending over 4 months in the hospital-before we had life-saving vaccines & treatments," wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.

Blumenthal Bulletin

Blumenthal reacted to King Charles's speech to Congress.

Blumenthal called out Trump's judicial nominees for their answers disregarding the violent January 6 attack on the Capitol and their inability to say President Biden won the 2020 election.

Blumenthal joined CNN to discuss President Trump's foreign policy strategy that's dangerously driven by vengeance and vanity.

Blumenthal slammed the Supreme Court's decision eviscerating safeguards against voter suppression and decimating the Voting Rights Act.

Blumenthal led a group of 29 Senators calling on the Trump Administration to halt the removal of Afghan allies to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Blumenthal introduced legislation protecting children harmed by ICE actions against their parents.

Blumenthal shared the story of Zahra, calling for support for our country's Afghan allies by passing his Afghan Adjustment Act.

Blumenthal joined Morning Joe on Monday to discuss the swift response by law enforcement at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and updates on the war in Iran.

Blumenthal investigated Hegseth's failure to protect troops in the Middle East after a fatal attack.

Blumenthal renewed a push to support survivors of disasters as the Trump Administration abandons disaster-stricken communities.

Blumenthal slammed skyrocketing gas prices in Hartford and across Connecticut.

Blumenthal joined the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School, announcing a lawsuit challenging the denial of VA benefits to children of male Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange.

-30-

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet