NORWICH, CT — Energy and job creation were the two major topics for which there is bipartisan support in Congress, according to US Sen. Richard Blumenthal. And he said he was optimistic that related legislation would pass.
Blumenthal, D-CT, attended the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT’s business lunch via Zoom on Friday.
Aside from his optimism, he also shared concerns about other projects and federal actions that he said were harmful.
“I am so really deeply alarmed and disturbed by the shutdown of Revolution Wind,” he said referring to the offshore wind farm that is 80% complete and was recently issued a stop-work order by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) as part of the Trump administration’s review of clean and green energy projects in the nation started under the Biden administration.
Blumenthal said the stoppage was affecting thousands of job and the local economy.
“It’s nuts. It’s crazy, and that’s why I have written to the Secretary of the Interior demanding the internal documents. Because I view it as simply a kind of sell out to the fossil fuel industry,” he said. “The president has opposed wind projects. This one has been approved by all of the relevant agencies.”
He echoed comments that have come from CT DEEP and Gov. Ned Lamont that if projects like Revolution Wind are cancelled then already expensive energy prices in the state would go even higher and the stability of energy in the state could be affected as demand increases with no way to meet that extra demand.
On the plus side he said there was a lot of bipartisan agreement on the National Defense Authorizations Act, which benefits Connecticut, especially the eastern part of the state.
“We are going to be providing very robust support to both the Virginia and Columbia class shipbuilding projects at Electric Boat and job training,” he said.
Electric Boat, based in Groton and part of the defense company General Dynamics, is for the first time in its history working on two classes of submarine, the Virginia and Columbia classes.
Blumenthal stressed the job training and apprenticeship program.
“There’s so many businesses in Connecticut, as I go around the state, what I hear is, we’re having trouble filling jobs because we can’t find people with the right skills, and I think it is very important to the future of our state that we provide that kind of training,” he said.
The Kids Online Safety Act was another hot topic for Blumenthal. He and Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn backed the measure last session. It passed the Senate 91-3 before being blocked in the House.
Blumenthal said young people needed to be protected from what he called, “toxic content” online all driven by social media algorithms.
Veterans were another success story of bipartisan support, said Blumenthal, who is the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Despite jobs cuts earlier this year brought about through DOGE that saw thousands of layoffs at various federal and veteran facilities across the nation, he said millions of dollars has been secured to renovate and restructure the VA hospital facility in West Haven.
Plus, he said there is bipartisan support for addressing the continued nationwide problem of veteran suicide, he said.
He finished his 20-minute presentation addressing healthcare and Medicare. He said he hoped tax credits and subsidies for these would be extended as part of a budget agreement as they expire at the end of the year and could increase insurance premiums for thousands in Connecticut and millions across the nation.