Senator Blumenthal is the ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Source: Julie Banks, CTNewsJunkie.
The Town Hall covered a myriad of issues including concerns about federal cuts that impact the state’s mental health programs, immigration, homeland security, due process and economic security for all citizens.
Blumenthal called Trump’s presidency a threat to democracy, and called on the public to continue to take action — noting that many already have through protests, including a recent one held at a Tesla dealership in Milford.
These examples of the public’s displeasure with Trump policies are giving people a way to express the “outrage and the fear that they feel, not just retreat in despair or despondency,” Blumenthal said.
The audience wanted to know about people’s right to due process, particularly in situations where they are threatened with deportation.
Blumenthal said the courts have been the biggest resource in enforcing the law.
“Americans are in favor of deporting people who commit really serious crimes and are undocumented. They are not in favor of deporting two-year-olds born in this country. They are not in favor of deporting hardworking people who have been here for 30, 40 years, paying taxes, supporting families,” Blumenthal said.
It is estimated that around 80,000 jobs have been cut by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, a move that, according to Blumenthal, would impact services provided by veterans via the PACT Act, which expanded health care and benefits for those exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances.
“You can’t provide health care if you’re firing the nurses and the doctors and the counselors, the schedulers, all the people who make it possible for health care to be delivered to our veterans,” Blumenthal said. “They’ve already fired 2,500 of them. They have openings of 40,000 that they’re trying to recruit to fill, and now they’re firing 80,000.”
Blumenthal is one of the sponsors of the Putting Veterans First Act. The bill would reverse the layoffs and rehire VA workers and veterans who have been fired at other federal agencies.
Bridgitte Prince, a disabled veteran and East Hartford resident, came to express her concern about Peter Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense who reportedly shared war plans via group texts. “For me, being military, I’m looking at it and saying, is he working for the other side because every time you read about him, there’s a leak somewhere, or is he just plain incompetent,” Prince said. Connecticut should be particularly concerned given that it houses Electric Boat and Sikorsky, she added.
Blumenthal said Hegseth has created “a viper’s nest” in the Secretary of Defense office, “And he’s dangerous because he seems to have total contempt for the rules, like they don’t apply to him,” Blumenthal said. “I am hoping that the senators who are so alarmed by what he’s doing will have the backbone to stand up to Donald Trump. Because it’s a matter of our national security and the safety of our men and women in uniform.”
Some in the audience questioned federal cuts to violence intervention programs made possible by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed in 2022.
Earl Bloodworth, executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence, said the state’s residents need access to suicide prevention and other programs to prevent tragedies, and wondered how the differing viewpoints can be brought together to solve the problem.
“How are we going to make this together because when there is the next tragedy here based on somebody who has mental health issues with a firearm, we’re going to hear lots of prayers,” Bloodworth said.
Blumenthal said the plan is to get as much bipartisan support as possible for measures that need that funding. While Republicans may not agree with every measure Democrats support, both sides can try to reach common ground, he said.
“We know some of those measures you’re not going to support. But what about mental health? What about mental health linked to gun violence?” Blumenthal said. “What about the funding and support for mental health and for community violence programs?”
North Branford resident Kara Papa said people are too willing to not have discussion with people they don’t politically align with. “I just want to give voice to things that I think a lot of our fellow neighbors just feel offended by. They feel that they’re not being listened to, and they’re being shut down, and that’s hard,” Papa said.
Blumenthal said people shouldn’t separate themselves from others they disagree with.
“You know, as happy as I am to have people who agree with me in this kind of town hall, I’m also happy to have people who disagree with me and will tell me they disagree with me. And plenty of people do,” he said.
