Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 8/21/2026-8/28/2026

Supporting Ukraine in its Fight Against Putin’s Invasion [Hartford, CT] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, traveled to Ukraine as the country continues to fight in the war against Russia. Blumenthal’s trip included a visit to Dnipro, near the eastern front of the war—the furthest east a Congressional Delegation has gone since the invasion. Blumenthal is the first member of Congress to visit Dnipro since the war began in 2022. “Eye opening, awe-inspiring—my visit to Dnipro, the first congressional trip permitted since the war’s start, showed me the best of humanity, with Ukrainians meeting the worst—Russia’s craven inhumanity. All I met—unspeakably injured soldiers, courageous caregivers, steadfast staffs—are demonstrating professional excellence under demanding conditions, with dedication & dignity,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X . In Dnipro, Blumenthal visited a military hospital where we met seriously wounded soldiers and their caregivers. “Heroes caring for heroes—at the military hospital in Dnipro, near the eastern front, I saw the courage & grit of seriously wounded soldiers & medical warriors helping them regain their lives. An awe-inspiring visit,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X . While in Kyiv earlier this week, Blumenthal met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and attended the National Prayer Breakfast on Ukraine’s Independence Day. He also toured SkyFall, a major Ukrainian defense technology company aiding the country in its fight against Russia. “Another inspiring meeting with President Zelenskyy at a critical turning point in Ukraine’s fight for freedom, when they are turning the tide against Russia’s savagery & slaughter. They need air defense interceptors, the Russia sanctions bill, Starlink, & aid. I am more determined than ever to redouble our support because their fight is our fight, & our own national security is directly at stake,” wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X . “At today’s National Prayer Breakfast, I stated emphatically—we stand with the people of Ukraine in prayer & faith, but also in action. Their fight for freedom & democracy is our fight too,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X . “A moving celebration in Kyiv for Ukraine ’s Independence Day—a reminder that freedom is never free, & we must redouble our efforts to support this brave embattled nation against Putin’s murderous invasion,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X . “SkyFall in Kyiv is doing cutting edge drone manufacturing & changing modern warfare. Its innovation & new technologies are powering Ukraine ’s fight against Russia's bloody slaughter,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X . Blumenthal also met with children and families affected by Russian kidnappings while in Kyiv. “Young children & their families hideously victimized by Russian kidnapping & other atrocities are awesome in their resilience & grace. The world must match their courage,” wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X . Blumenthal also visited Babyn Yar, a site honoring Jewish people killed there in massacres carried out by Nazi forces in World War II, and Independence Square, located in the center of Kyiv with memorials to those who have died in the ongoing war against Russia. “A moving, solemn tribute at Babyn Yar to the 33,000 Jewish people killed there during the Holocaust. In the face of inhumanity, no one can be neutral—we must stop Putin’s savagery & cruelty,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X . “At Independence Square, Ukrainians are honoring the brave lives tragically lost in Putin’s war of inhumanity & aggression. We join them in their sorrow & redouble our support for their fight to stop Russia’s slaughter,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X . Blumenthal concluded his trip with a visit to Bucha, a city located on the northern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “Returning to Bucha reminds me why we should all be so passionate about Ukraine winning this war— Russia's criminal inhumanity & killing, & the steadfast strength of Ukraine,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X . Blumenthal joined MS NOW’s Morning Joe to recap his trip to Ukraine and highlight the need for continued U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s bloody invasion. “I visited the military hospital near the border, and that military hospital shows the face of courage and strength that President Zelenskyy echoed in what he said to me. He needs three priorities: the Russia sanctions bill, air defense—because his people have been slaughtered by Putin’s missiles and drones that are attacking civilian targets, not military—and he needs Starlink to target even deeper within Russia,” said Blumenthal on Morning Joe. “I said to him I would take those three priorities—most especially the Russia sanctions bill, because it passed the Senate by an 86 to 11 vote, completely bipartisan, after painstaking negotiations over several years by Senator Graham and myself with the White House, the U.S. Trade Representative, colleagues in Congress, and we are now at the cusp of passing it in the House. And it will make such a difference, because Putin's economy is on the cusp of major crisis, and stopping the flow of revenue from sales of oil and gas, as this sanctions bill would do, can have a real impact in throttling Putin's ability to wage war.” Condemning Increased ICE Activity in Danbury Blumenthal released a statement following reports of increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Danbury over the last few days. “ICE’s cruelty and craven brutality has no limit. Snatching people off the streets as they walk their children to school or wait for a ride to work — such tactics are abusive, abhorrent, and illegal. I am in touch with state and local authorities and am ready to assist in any way possible.” Responding to Nearly $17 Billion Meta Settlement in Case About Social Media Harms to Kids Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), authors of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), released the following statement in response to a nearly $17 billion settlement reached between Meta and a coalition of bipartisan state Attorneys General: “This massive settlement shows how terrified Meta and Mark Zuckerberg are of accountability in open court. We applaud the bipartisan coalition of state Attorneys General for forcing Meta to start paying a real price for the harm its products have caused an entire generation of young people. The product design changes imposed under this settlement are a first step toward giving kids and parents the tools they need to take back control of their online lives, but they can be strengthened. Meta notes that these terms are only required to stay in place for 10 years—we must ensure permanent change. We also need safeguards that apply across the board—to all social media companies—not just Instagram and Facebook. This settlement once again demands that Congress pass the Kids Online Safety Act into law before the end of the year.” On Twitter/X, Blumenthal further highlighted the need for increased protections for kids online. “Meta is guilty of harming kids—& now it’s starting to pay a real price. This landmark settlement, staggering in penalties & important changes, only heightened the urgency & need for the Kids Online Safety Act to become law now,” wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X. Demanding Answers About DHS’s $464 Million Purchase of Luxury Jets & Planes via a No-Bid Contract Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Adam Schiff (D-CA), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, demanded answers from Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Markwayne Mullin, about DHS’s wasteful purchase of 10 airplanes for $464 million via a no-bid contract. In a letter to Mullin, the Senators called out the Department’s growing and alarming reliance on no-bid contracts since the beginning of the second Trump Administration and raised concerns that the owner of the company that received the award also runs a company alleged to have solicited kickback payments to former DHS official Corey Lewandowski. “ Recent reporting reveals that, beginning in the fall of 2025, DHS pursued and eventually awarded a no-bid contract to purchase 10 aircraft, including three ‘luxury business jets’ and seven ‘Boeing 737 passenger jets,’ and that most of these aircraft have sat idle for months since DHS acquired them. Although DHS claims that the contract was undertaken during Secretary Noem’s tenure, contracting records indicate that the cost of the contract ‘increased by $303 million on the day that Mr. Mullin was sworn in as secretary,’” the Senators wrote. The Senators continued, “DHS purchased the aircraft through a $464 million no-bid contract to Daedalus Aviation Corporation (Daedalus), a Virginia-based company led by chairman William Walters…In fact, Mr. Walters has allegedly created ‘a web of companies,’ that subsequently received government contracts despite having no prior government contracting experience. Companies with ties to Mr. Walters include Salus Worldwide Solutions Corporation (Salus), which, in 2025, received a hastily-awarded contract worth $915 million ‘for air operations to support the administration’s effort to persuade millions of undocumented immigrants to ‘self-deport.’ Public reporting alleges that a representative of Salus repeatedly approached a prospective subcontracting firm with proposals to undertake work for DHS only if the firm would direct millions in kickbacks to Corey Lewandowski or consulting firms connected to him.” “Congress and the American people deserve the Department’s full and prompt transparency with respect to the shocking waste of taxpayer funds and potential corruption involved in the Department’s aircraft purchase and widespread no-bid contracting,” the Senators concluded. The full text of the letter is available here . Blumenthal Bulletin Blumenthal slammed the Department of Justice’s decision undercutting one of FDA’s strongest enforcement tools against unauthorized tobacco products. Blumenthal called out the craven political trashing of Stars and Stripes after the Pentagon fired leaders from the publication who criticized the Department of Defense’s interference. Blumenthal visited the groundbreaking of Electric Boat’s new Waterford campus. Blumenthal called for an end to misleading and deceptive food packaging with his Food Labeling Modernization Act . -30-