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Richard Blumenthal

 
Richard Blumenthal Image
Title
Senator
Connecticut
Party Affiliation
Democrat
2023
2028
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Representative Offices
Address
915 Lafayette Blvd.
Suite
Suite 304
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Bridgeport CT, 06604
Phone
203-330-0598
Fax
203-330-0608
Address
90 State House Sq.
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Hartford CT, 06103
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860-258-6940
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860-258-6958
News
04/09/2025 --nbcnews
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are raising questions about Trump administration officials using early information to make trades ahead of announcements around tariffs.
04/09/2025 --theepochtimes
The former Facebook executive accused the company of working to help China 'out-compete' U.S. companies.
04/09/2025 --nypost
The same political bullies who want to ban "risky" gambling don't propose banning the worst form of it — their own state lotteries.
04/09/2025 --techcrunch
Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s former Head of Global Public Policy, testified before the U.S. Senate today about the company’s relationship with China. According to Wynn-Williams, the company now known as Meta worked directly with the Chinese Community Party (CCP) to “undermine U.S. national security and betray American values,” she said. She alleges that Facebook created custom-built [...]
04/01/2025 --foxnews
The element of surprise in the Yemen airstrikes was "very likely lost" as a result of the controversial leaked Signal chat, Lt. Gen. Dan Caine told a Senate committee Tuesday.
04/01/2025 --foxnews
The element of surprise in the Yemen airstrikes was 'very likely lost' as a result of the controversial leaked Signal chat, a Democrat senator told Caine during a Senate hearing Tuesday.
04/01/2025 --axios
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has held the Senate floor since 7pm ET Monday, promising to talk "as long as I am physically able."Why it matters: Booker has been talking for around 16 hours, with pauses for questions from fellow Democrats — and he doesn't seem to be slowing down. But he has around 8 hours to go if he wants to break the record for the longest Senate speech.In a social media video posted before he took the floor, the former presidential candidate said he had heard calls from across the nation for lawmakers to "do more" to "recognize the urgency, the crisis of the moment."Booker's marathon speech is technically not a filibuster, which is "designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question."However, if he's still talking past noon, he could disrupt official business, the New York Times noted.Strom Thurmond's epic anti-civil rights filibuster Sen. Strom Thurmond is mobbed by reporters after ending his 24-hour, 18-minutes talkathon against a Civil Rights bill. Photo: Bettmann via Getty ImagesThe record for the longest individual speech belongs to the late South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond — a Democrat at the time who later joined the Republicans. Thurmond spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in protest of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.Sen. Wayne Morse of Oregon previously held the record with a 1953 filibuster that lasted 22 hours and 26 minutes.Flashback: Thurmond, according a 2013 Vanity Fair review of reporting from the time, took steam baths every day to dehydrate himself in an attempt to hinder nature's call so he wouldn't have to leave the Senate chamber to use the bathroom.And Time Magazine wrote shortly after his filibuster, NPR noted, that he temporarily yielded to a fellow lawmaker for a Congressional Record insertion to use the bathroom.The record for the longest multi-speaker filibuster was 60 days, when a faction of Southern lawmakers in 1964 attempted to block the Civil Rights Act.Booker, without formally relinquishing the floor, has accepted questions from other Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).While at the podium, Booker has railed against the Trump administration's and Republican lawmakers' attacks on federal agencies and programs, including potential cuts to Medicaid.Alfonse D'Amato halts the Senate twice Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-N.Y.), smiles as he gives a "V" for victory sign next to former President Ronald Reagan in March 1984. Photo: Bettmann via Getty ImagesFormer Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-N.Y.) made history with two marathon filibusters: He spoke for over 23 hours in 1986 and over 15 hours in 1992. D'Amato, who lost his Senate seat in 1998 to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), filibustered for 23 hours and 30 minutes over an amendment to a bill that would nix financing for a jet trainer aircraft.In 1992, he launched a "gentleman's filibuster" over plans to move typewriter factory jobs to Mexico.Ted Cruz and Chris Murphy's modern marathons Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) looks on as Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)) speaks to reporters after waging an almost 15-hour filibuster on the Senate floor on June 15, 2016. Photo: Pete Marovich/Getty ImagesSen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Murphy each hosted notable marathon speeches.Cruz spoke for 21 hours and 19 minutes in 2013 in opposition to the Affordable Care Act, which NBC News reported at the time was the fourth-longest speech in the history of the chamber.Beyond his criticisms for former President Obama's health care law, Cruz used his speech to read Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" and talked about Star Wars and White Castle.And Murphy took to the floor for some 15 hours in 2016 to push for votes on gun control legislation.Booker said on Tuesday that Murphy had been with him throughout his whole speech, calling it a "full circle" moment, as he was his colleague's "aide-de-camp" during the 2016 filibuster."His debt is paid, but I got fuel in the tank," Booker said.Go deeper: The filibuster's evolution
03/25/2025 --dailykos
Donald Trump’s secretary of veterans affairs is bragging about his plans to make more cuts to the department and its health care system.Doug Collins told the New York Post in an interview published March 22 that the VA is “not an employment agency” as the department scurries to cut hundreds of contracts and slash various programs from available health coverage. While the former House member claimed he wasn’t getting rid of vital veterans’ health care, he quickly added that treatment for transgender veterans did not fit the bill of necessary medical care. Collins specifically targeted gender-affirming care and medical services offered to transgender people. According to data supplied to the Post by the agency, transgender veterans make up one-tenth of 1% of 9.1 million veterans enrolled in the VA’s health care program. But Collins also bragged about cutting out some other egregious contracts that he claimed were mucking up the budget. “The VA was paying for PowerPoint slides and meeting notes, for the watering of plants, and consulting contracts to do the work that we should be doing ourselves,” he told the Post.Like his fellow Trump Cabinet members, Collins has targeted agency employees under the guise of stomping out diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. The secretary slashed a chunk of his workforce and canceled contracts that were allegedly related to the Trump-hated acronym. Per the outlet, Collins’ planned cuts will save $914 million. But the information provided by the Post cannot be independently verified by Daily Kos at this time.Due to many other instances in which multibillionaire Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency and other federal agencies have incorrectly reported “savings,” it is unclear whether these numbers are accurate. It’s also not uncommon for departments to brag about cutting funding for alleged wasteful programs that turned out to be something arguably different. As for the man behind these cuts, Collins is a former Baptist minister with an interesting story behind his rise to Trump’s Cabinet. Collins was in Georgia politics for quite some time, but he really made a name for himself during the 2019 probe by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian election interference. The Republican congressman was one of Trump’s biggest allies during the probe and eventually wrote a book claiming Democrats sought to impeach Trump as revenge for his victory over Hilary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. But ass-kissing books aside, now that Collins has his dream gig of making veterans’ lives worse, Democrats are demanding that he answer for his actions. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called on Collins to testify at an informal hearing next week to discuss the cuts he’s made to the VA, including an expected 80,000 layoffs. Unsurprisingly, Collins is expected to turn down the invitation. Many groups and agencies have been hit hard since Trump took office in January, but veterans seem to be one of his administration’s bigger targets. Not only is their health care coverage and workforce being gutted, but the population is taking other hits as well. The quality of mental health care provided to veterans has taken a nosedive in the name of “efficiency,” and a department that investigates disparities in how the government provides disability compensation has been shuttered. It’s unclear what the Trump administration’s end goal is, but those who advocate for veterans are all too aware of the potentially catastrophic impacts. “It’s a first step toward gutting the second-largest agency in our federal government,” Richard Brookshire, co-founder of the Black Veterans Project, said to ProPublica on the closure of the VA's Office of Equity Assurance. “The consequences will be dire, wide-reaching and deadly,” he warned.Campaign Action
03/24/2025 --columbian
WASHINGTON — As congressional lawmakers scramble to respond to President Donald Trump's slashing of the federal government, one group is already taking a front and center role: military veterans.
03/20/2025 --washingtontimes
Republicans and Democrats have different spending priorities but are largely united in their hope of striking a bipartisan deal the next time the government needs funding.
03/17/2025 --kron4
Senate Democrats called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to restore funding to local food banks and schools, after it canceled $1 billion in food purchase programs throughout the country. In a letter Monday, Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff (Calif.), Ben Ray Luján (N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) led a group of [...]
03/08/2025 --pilotonline
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides health care for retired military members, is planning a reorganization that includes cutting more than 80,000 jobs, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. This is another wave in the Trump administration’s mass firing of federal employees led by the Department of Government Efficiency, or [...]
03/05/2025 --eastbaytimes
Veterans have already been speaking out against the cuts at the agency that so far had included a few thousand employees and hundreds of contracts.
03/05/2025 --theepochtimes
The VA chief of staff says the agency's goal is to return to staffing levels from 2019—or just under 400,000 employees.
03/05/2025 --express
The VA's chief of staff, Christopher Syrek, told top level officials at the agency that it had an objective to cut enough employees to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000
03/05/2025 --whig
President Donald Trump vowed more “swift and unrelenting action” reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy in an unyielding address before Congress as Democratic lawmakers showed their dissent. The fallout from Trump's trade war continues, with financial markets now...
03/05/2025 --timesherald
Veterans have already been speaking out against the cuts at the VA.
03/05/2025 --columbian
WASHINGTON — In an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump touted his administration’s swift actions to remake the federal government in his image, provoking cheers from his fellow Republicans and loud protests from Democrats.
02/20/2025 --foxnews
Democrats warned that their Republican colleagues would be haunted for their votes to support Trump's FBI pick, Kash Patel.
02/20/2025 --dailykos
Some Democratic senators are now publicly admitting that they made a serious mistake in voting to confirm several of the Cabinet secretaries who are now carrying out President Donald Trump’s destructive agenda.New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim told Migrant Insider this week that he regrets his vote for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and told the outlet he wouldn’t vote for any future Trump nominees.New Jersey Sen. Andy KimSen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said he regrets voting for Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins. “Voting for Collins was a mistake, and I apologize to the veterans of the country,” he told reporters Wednesday“My one vote I cast for a member of the Trump Cabinet was for now-Secretary Rubio. I regret to say I regret that vote, because once installed in office, he is essentially abandoning the positions he took here as United States senator,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland told CNN Feb. 12.The Democratic confessions come a month into Trump’s second term where the Cabinet secretaries in question, along with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, have run roughshod over the federal government. Key agencies and departments like the Department of Defense, USAID, the Treasury, the IRS, and the FAA have seen massive firings, systems disruptions, and a rollback of civil rights protections that were in place for decades.While Trump’s agenda has received an almost unanimous vote of support from his fellow Republicans, Democratic votes have helped to put a bipartisan stamp on the resulting disruption of American life. Trump nominees like Noem, Collins, and former MTV “Real World” star turned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy all got to their positions with Democratic votes, either directly or through procedural votes.The biggest beneficiary of this bipartisanship was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose nomination sailed through 99-0 as senators voted en masse for one of their own.Since Trump took office, Democrats have been hearing complaints from their core voters that they are not doing enough to oppose him. Some Democratic leaders have reportedly held closed-door meetings and complained about the criticism.Recent opinion polling has reflected this dissatisfaction. In a SurveyUSA poll taken from Feb. 13 to 16, 41% of respondents said the party was “not standing up enough” to Trump.Democrats have been fumbling in trying to find the right rhetorical response to Trump. In the House, Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has brought up concerns over consumer costs and the administration’s failure to address them while introducing inflationary tariffs, but the line of attack has not resonated.By contrast, progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, has provoked the ire of the Trump administration by forcefully asserting immigrants’ rights in the face of attempted mass deportation raids. Jeffries reportedly plans to invite guests to Trump’s first congressional address that will rebut his actions and rhetoric.Combined with the Senate admissions, the party may be signaling it is pivoting toward more forceful opposition—a position that the general public seems ready for.Campaign Action
02/19/2025 --theepochtimes
The two men talked about Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), predicting $1 trillion in suspect spending will be found.
02/15/2025 --columbian
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate bill to ban social media access for kids younger than 13 that sailed through committee is facing pushback from digital rights and tech trade groups that say it’s unconstitutional and overly intrusive.
02/12/2025 --foxnews
President Donald Trump's FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, pushed back fiercely against allegations that he directed the firings of bureau personnel made by Senate Democrats citing whistleblowers.
02/11/2025 --foxnews
The total number of backers, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, comes just days before the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to advance Kash Patel's nomination to lead the FBI.
02/08/2025 --a12news
All administrations set their own rules for which transportation projects to prioritize. But some of Sean Duffy's directives were received as highly unusual.
02/08/2025 --sun_sentinel
Some of Duffy’s directives were received as highly unusual.
02/07/2025 --fox5sandiego
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the directive last week “deeply frightening," and Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray called it “disturbingly dystopian.”
02/04/2025 --axios
Senate Democrats are privately eyeing delays on all Trump nominees as retaliation for his restructuring of USAID, Axios has learned. Why it matters: This would go beyond the "blanket hold" that Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has placed on State Department nominees. Democrats are furious at Trump's actions, and want to signal a strong response.Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios on Tuesday that he's willing to place holds on Trump nominees on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blumenthal said the caucus is proceeding as if there is a blanket hold on Trump nominations.
02/03/2025 --foxnews
Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and longtime prosecutor, had earned praise for her pledges not to politicize the Justice Department.
01/31/2025 --foxnews
Patel squared off with Democrats for hours over his grand jury testimony in the special counsel probe, involvement with a J6 'inmate choir' and his previous remarks on QAnon.
01/30/2025 --kron4
Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, was at the center of a contentious confirmation hearing Thursday, facing intense grilling from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee about his past comments and allegiance to Trump. To Republicans, Patel is a chance to reform an agency whose public image has taken a hit and [...]
01/30/2025 --kron4
Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, wouldn’t acknowledge or sought to distance himself from a host of his past public statements as Democrats pressed him during his confirmation hearing on Thursday. Democratic lawmakers cited numerous controversial statements Patel has made on podcasts and online, but Patel demurred at being associated with his [...]
01/27/2025 --rep_am
It must be a tough time for Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a proven liar about his service to our country. He tried to go after Pete Hegseth, a real soldier who fought for our country and who was awarded medals for his recognized service. Mr. Hegseth was greeted by a full house of veterans who [...]
01/26/2025 --axios
President Trump entered his resurgent era on an avalanche of dozens of sweeping executive orders and proclamations, some of which had immediate impacts on immigration, the federal bureaucracy, the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.Yes, but: Not everyone in the MAGA masses is singing the same tune. Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, Jan. 26. 1. Trump, Biden face pardon pushback Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Jan. 26.Monday's flurry of pardons from President Trump and former President Biden exposed a glimmer of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill — with many lawmakers agreeing both took their power too far. Minutes before leaving office, Biden preemptively pardoned five family members. And just after Trump took over the Oval Office, he pardoned some 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants.What they're saying: Pardoning those who beat up law enforcement officers on Jan. 6 was "a mistake," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press.""I will be consistent here, I don't like the idea of bailing people out of jail or pardoning people who burned down cities and beat up cops, whether you are Republican or a Democrat," he continued.Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, Graham also criticized Biden's use of pardons and suggested there should be "an effort to rein in the pardon power of the president" if perceived abuses persist.The other side: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called for additional guardrails on the president's vast pardon power on "Fox News Sunday," highlighting legislation he introduced following Trump's Jan. 6 pardons."These decisions are made in the shadows; they are a black box," he said.Worth noting: It's not just lawmakers who would be on board with a change. Some participants in Axios' latest Engagious/Sago swing-voter focus group said Trump and Biden both went too far with their presidential pardons and that they'd back a theoretical constitutional amendment to taper presidential pardon power.Zoom out: Both the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the U.S., and the International Association of Chiefs of Police condemned Trump's near-total pardons of Jan. 6 rioters.Among the roughly 1,500 pardoned and 14 others whose sentences were commuted were individuals who attacked officers and leaders of the extremist groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.Threat level: Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) highlighted the hyper-partisan environment violent Jan. 6 rioters and members of extremist groups were released into, saying on CBS News' "Face the Nation," "None of this is making us safe."While he defended Biden's decision to pardon his family members in the wake of persistent threats from Trump and fears of political retribution, Crow said, "what I would like to see overall is pardon reform.""People need to know that the person sitting in the Oval Office has their best interests in mind at all times," Crow said, "and certainly not with Donald Trump right now can they have that feeling of trust and confidence, because ... five days into this administration, the abuse is already rampant."2. Trump's inspectors general firings generate some shrugs Sen. Richard Blumenthal speaks during a Jan. 26 interview on "Fox News Sunday."Trump's ongoing civil service shakeup saw more than a dozen inspectors general booted from their posts across the federal government Friday.The intrigue: The terminations, as stated by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, appear to violate federal law requiring a 30-day congressional notice of intent to fire a Senate-confirmed inspector general."There may be good reason the IGs were fired," Grassley said in a Saturday statement to CNN. "We need to know that if so. I'd like further explanation from President Trump. Regardless, the 30-day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress."Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) described Trump's move as "a clear violation of law," while Blumenthal challenged his GOP colleagues to "join me in opposing these firings."Blumenthal added, "Elon Musk ought to be also joining because he is against wasteful spending," something watchdogs would likely monitor.Yes, but: Graham noted that while Trump "technically" violated the law, he has "the authority" to dismiss personnel. Zoom out: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) echoed Graham Sunday, brushing off concerns that Trump may install loyalists in inspector general posts."It's very common as new administrations come in that specifically these positions be replaced," he said.Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) similarly shrugged off the dismissals, telling Fox's Shannon Bream, "Ultimately, these inspectors general serve at the pleasure of the president — he wants new people in there."Flashback: During Trump's first-term fight to purge the government and so-called "deep state" of those deemed disloyal, he targeted multiple inspectors general.While it is normal for political appointees to be replaced during presidential transitions, a report from the Congressional Research Service notes that the "practice has disfavored removal of IGs during presidential transitions" following sweeping action at the beginning of former President Reagan's term.Since 1981, the report states, "IGs have remained in their positions during each presidential transition."3. Republicans urge Trump to rethink pulling security details for ex-officials Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) speaks during a Jan. 26 interview on "Fox News Sunday."Trump's decision to strip security protections from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others could expose those individuals to threats from abroad and have a chilling effect on future officials, Cotton said Sunday.Beyond Pompeo, Trump revoked former national security adviser John Bolton's and former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci's security details.Pompeo's top aide Brian Hook also reportedly lost his security.Context: Pompeo has criticized Trump on foreign and fiscal policy, while Bolton warned his former boss was "unfit" to be president again.Fauci has been open about receiving death threats. Pompeo, Bolton and Hook have faced threats from Iran.What they're saying: "I would encourage the president to revisit the decision for those people who are being targeted by Iran as the president was targeted for assassination by Iran," Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said on "Fox News Sunday."The threat to those involved in the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, once one of the Iranian regime's most powerful figures, is "persistent" and "real," Cotton said. "It's better to be safe than sorry," he said, "because it's not just about these men who helped President Trump carry out his policy in his first term, it's about their family and friends, innocent bystanders every time they're in public."Zoom out: Graham seemingly agreed, telling NBC's Kristen Welker Sunday, "if there is a legitimate threat against people who have served our government from a foreign adversary, I don't want to pull that protection.""The last thing we want to do in this country is tell somebody, come into our government ... come up with policies to stand up to rogue nations like Iran, they come after you, we pull the rug on you," Graham said.More from Axios' Sunday coverage:Vance tells Catholic Bishops to 'look in the mirror' over immigration policy concernsScoop: How Trump's "black box" limits outside influencesCIA favors COVID lab leak theory
01/23/2025 --huffpost
Now that Donald Trump is president, there’s no appetite within the GOP for scrutinizing the myriad conflicts of interest in the White House.
01/23/2025 --forbes
Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is facing stiff criticism from Democrats—but most Republicans back him.
01/23/2025 --theepochtimes
The full Senate will now vote on the nominees in a final confirmation procedure.
01/23/2025 --theepochtimes
Senate Budget Committee concentrates on the power of the purpose during second confirmation hearing.
01/23/2025 --healthcareitnews
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has advanced former Congressman Douglas Collins, R-Georgia, by a vote of 18-1 and will now advance to the full Senate, according to an announcement Thursday from U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kansas.During Tuesday's hearing, Collins said he would address the VA's challenges, including the interoperability of veterans' health records and making the transition back to civilian life as safe and smooth as possible for veterans' mental health.WHY IT MATTERSNothing is going to hold up the MISSION Act, a legacy of the previous Trump Administration, Collins told Moran after reading his written testimony. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, then asked Collins for several commitments related to funding veterans benefits and investments in VA provider facilities, which he gave. The third item on the list was about veterans' access to care. Senator Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, asked about improving the transition from active duty to the VA and access to community care – and specifically, porting over their medical records.Collins acknowledged that transferring records from the VA to healthcare providers outside the system has been a roadblock to smooth transitions to community care that is more convenient for rural veterans. The EHR modernization program is one example of the VA itself "standing in the way" of veterans' access to care, he said Tuesday."That is a program that has went too many years and cost too many billions of dollars without finding a solution," he said at the hearing. "And my commitment is one of the very first priorities, if confirmed, is to get in and figure out why and put this on a bigger timeframe to get this medical health records issue solved."The beleaguered state of the VA's EHR, with six facilities on the new Oracle system, has left "uncertainty for the veteran, that leaves uncertainty for the family and makes a very unhealthy experience for those that are serving," Collins said.When Moran announced that Collins's nomination would advance to a full Senate vote, he praised the former Congressman and veteran for his firsthand knowledge."During his hearing before the committee, he demonstrated his understanding of the policies he will be expected to administer at the Department of Veterans Affairs and his care and respect for our nation’s heroes," said Moran."If confirmed, I will hold him to his commitment to work with our committee to implement critical reforms at VA to better support our nation’s veterans and their families." THE LARGER TRENDLast month, the VA announced that it had improved veteran trust and clinician satisfaction during the EHR Modernization program reset and would soon resume system deployments.It's been more than 18 months since lawmakers charged the agency with making critical improvements to patient safety at five VA health systems using the new EHR. Following a series of outages and incidents of patient harm, the VA's Office of Inspector General has investigated system flaws and recommended more than 70 changes. In November, Trump tapped Collins to head the VA saying that he would be an advocate for veterans care and support. "Doug is a Veteran himself, who currently serves our Nation as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our Country in the Iraq War," Trump noted. ON THE RECORD"We will not shy away from challenges like homelessness and suicide prevention, electronic health record modernization and shrinking the department’s claims backlog," Collins said in his written testimony.Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.Email: [email protected] IT News is a HIMSS Media publication. Enterprise Taxonomy: EHRHealth and WellnessBehavioral healthInteroperabilityLeadershipCore TechnologiesCareData and InformationOrganizational GovernanceTechnology
01/23/2025 --kron4
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Thursday easily advanced Doug Collins' nomination to be the secretary of Veterans Affairs, setting him up for a full Senate vote that is likely to be uncontentious. The panel voted 18 to 1, with the lone "no" vote coming from Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who said Collins’s plans for [...]
01/15/2025 --clickondetroit
One by one, President-elect Donald Trump's hoped-for Cabinet is falling into place.
01/15/2025 --nbcnews
Six of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees faced Senate confirmation hearings, previewing a parade of policy and political fights that will define his second term.
 
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