richard blumenthal committee assignments

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Richard Blumenthal

• Democratic Party

2011 - Present

Compensation

(2012) $103,803,192

November 8, 2022

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve

1970 - 1976

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Richard Blumenthal ( Democratic Party ) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Connecticut. He assumed office on January 3, 2011. His current term ends on January 3, 2029.

Blumenthal (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Connecticut. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022 .

Before his election to the Senate, Blumenthal had served as the Connecticut Attorney General since 1991. He served in the Connecticut State Senate from 1987 to 1991 and in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1984 to 1987. [1]

As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings , Blumenthal is one of the most reliable Democratic votes, meaning he can be considered a safe vote for the Democratic Party in Congress.

• 2.1.1 2017-2018
• 2.1.2 2015-2016
• 2.1.3 2013-2014
• 2.1.4 2011-2012
• 3.1 Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023
• 3.2 Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress
• 3.3 Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023
• 3.4 Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020
• 3.5 Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018
• 3.6.1.1 Trade Act of 2015
• 3.6.1.2 2016 Budget proposal
• 3.6.1.3 Defense spending authorization
• 3.6.1.4 2015 budget
• 3.6.2.1 Iran nuclear deal
• 3.6.3.1 USA FREEDOM Act of 2015
• 3.6.3.2 Cyber security
• 3.6.4 Immigration
• 3.7 113th Congress
• 3.8.1 John Brennan CIA nomination
• 3.9.1 Farm bill
• 3.9.2 2014 Budget
• 3.9.3 Government shutdown
• 3.9.4 No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013
• 3.10.1 Mexico-U.S. border
• 3.11.1 Violence Against Women (2013)
• 3.12.1 Fiscal Cliff
• 6 Notable endorsements
• 7 Campaign finance summary
• 8.1 PGI: Change in net worth
• 8.2 PGI: Donation Concentration Metric
• 9.1 Ideology and leadership
• 9.2 Like-minded colleagues
• 9.3 Lifetime voting record
• 9.4 Congressional staff salaries
• 10 Personal
• 11 See also
• 12 External links
• 13 Footnotes

Below is an abbreviated outline of Blumenthal's academic, professional, and political career: [2]

• 2011-Present: U.S. Senator from Connecticut
• 1991-2011: Connecticut Attorney General
• 1987-1991: Connecticut State Senate
• 1984-1987: Connecticut House of Representatives
• 1977-1981: United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut
• 1970-1976: United States Marine Corps Reserve

Committee assignments

U.s. senate.

Blumenthal was assigned to the following committees: [Source]

• Senate Committee on Armed Services
• Subcommittee on Airland
• Subcommittee on Personnel
• Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
• Subcommittee on Seapower
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations , Chairman
• Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management
• Committee on Judiciary
• Committee on Aging (Special)
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety
• Subcommittee on The Constitution , Chair
• Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights
• Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law
• Cybersecurity
• Readiness and Management Support
• Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Communications, Media, and Broadband
• Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security , Chair
• Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing
• Space and Science
• Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports

At the beginning of the 115th Congress , Blumenthal was assigned to the following committees: [3]

• Committee on Armed Services
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Blumenthal served on the following committees: [4]

• Special Committee on Aging
• Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
• Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
• Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance , Ranking Member
• Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
• Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
• Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
• Subcommittee on Immigration and The National Interest
• Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action
• Veterans' Affairs Committee , Ranking Member

Blumenthal served on the following Senate committees: [5]

• Subcommittee on SeaPower
• Subcommittee on Science and Space
• Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance
• Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
• Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action Chairman
• Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
• Subcommittee on The Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
• Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights subcommittee
• United States Senate Special Committee on Aging
• Veterans' Affairs Committee

Blumenthal served on the following Senate committees:

• Subcommittee on Children and Families
• Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
• Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
• Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
• United States Senate Special Committee on Aging [6]

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here .

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023

The 118th United States Congress began on January 3, 2023, at which point Republicans held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-212), and Democrats held the majority in the U.S. Senate (51-49). Joe Biden (D) was the president and Kamala Harris (D) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Key votes: 116th congress, 2019-2020.

Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018

Voted Yea on:  First Step Act of 2018 (S 756)

Voted Yea on:  Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (HR 2)

Voted Nay on:  "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)

Voted Yea on:  Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2)

Voted Nay on:  Immigration reform proposal from Sen. Chuck Grassley and the Trump administration (S Amdt 1959 to HR 2579)

Voted Yea on:  Immigration reform proposal from the Common Sense Coalition (S Amdt 1958 to HR 2579)

Voted Nay on:  Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act amendment (S Amdt 1948 to S Amdt 1959)

Voted Yea on:  Coons-McCain immigration plan (S Amdt 1955 to S Amdt 1958)

Voted Nay on:  Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S 2311)

Voted Nay on:  An amendment to repeal the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it—"Skinny bill" (S Amdt 667 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628 the American Health Care Act of 2017)

Voted Nay on:  An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) (S Amdt 271 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)

Voted Nay on:  Motion to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, including Cruz and Portman amendments (S Amdt 270 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)

Voted Nay on:  Motion to begin debate on the American Health Care Act of 2017 (HR 1628)

Voted Nay on:  Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(4)—confirmation vote)

Voted Nay on:  Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(3))

Voted Yea on:  Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(2))

Voted Nay on:  Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55)

Voted Yea on:  "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)

Voted Yea on:  "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)

Voted Yea on:  Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1625)

Voted Yea on:  The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (HR 1892)

Voted Nay on:  Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 695)

Voted Nay on:  Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)

Voted Nay on:  Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1370)

Voted Nay on:  Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)

Voted Yea on:  "A joint resolution making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes." (HJ Res 123)

Voted Nay on:  A concurrent resolution establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. (H Con Res 71)

Voted Yea on:  Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (Included amendments to suspend the debt ceiling and fund the government) (HR 601)

Voted Yea on:  Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 (HR 244)

Voted Yea on:  "A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress." (SJ Res 54)

Voted Yea on:  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 2810)

Voted Yea on:  Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (HR 3364)

Voted Yea on:  Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 (S 722)

• 114th Congress

The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. [74] [75] The Senate confirmed 18,117 out of 21,815 executive nominations received (83 percent). For more information pertaining to Blumenthal's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections. [76]

Economic and fiscal

Trade act of 2015.

2016 Budget proposal

Defense spending authorization.

2015 budget

Foreign affairs, iran nuclear deal, usa freedom act of 2015, cyber security, immigration.

• 113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. [110] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Blumenthal's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections. [111]

National security

John brennan cia nomination, 2014 budget, government shutdown, no budget, no pay act of 2013, mexico-u.s. border, social issues, violence against women (2013), previous congressional sessions, fiscal cliff.

See also:  United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2022

General election

General election for u.s. senate connecticut.

Incumbent Richard Blumenthal defeated Leora Levy , John Anderson , and Shabadjot Bharara in the general election for U.S. Senate Connecticut on November 8, 2022.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Andrew Hyduchak (Independent)
• Kristi Talmadge (Independent)
• John Flynn (Independent Party)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Richard Blumenthal advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for u.s. senate connecticut.

Leora Levy defeated Themis Klarides and Peter Lumaj in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut on August 9, 2022.

• Robert Hyde (R)
• Nicholas Connors (R)
• John Flynn (R)

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Connecticut's U.S. Senate race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Richard Blumenthal (D) defeated Dan Carter (R), Richard Lion (L), Jeffery David Russell (G), and John Price (I) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary election in August. Carter defeated August Wolf at the Republican convention. Blumenthal won re-election in the November 8 election. [121] [122] [123]

• Richard Blumenthal ran unopposed in this contest

Blumenthal wasted no time declaring his candidacy for the United States Senate directly on the heels of Senator Christopher Dodd's announcement on January 6, 2010, that he would be retiring at the end of the congressional term. [125]

Public Policy Polling released information from a survey conducted just prior to Dodd's retirement announcement that showed in a head-to-head matchup, Blumenthal would easily defeat Simmons 59 - 28 percent. [126] Another poll conducted by Quinnipiac University a few days later exhibited Blumenthal's margin of victory over Simmons widening to 62 - 27 percent. [127]

However, after the New York Times broke the story that for years Blumenthal had been lying about having served in Vietnam, Rasmussen conducted a survey of 500 likely voters and found that his lead in the United States Senate had shrunk dramatically to a little over three percentage points. [128] The leading Republican candidate, Linda McMahon, former CEO of Wrestling Entertainment, took credit for tipping off the New York Times about Blumenthal's exaggerations.

On Friday, May 21, 2010, at the state's Democratic convention, Blumenthal received his party's endorsement, but only after his primary opponent, Merrick Alpert, was prevented from speaking and then formally withdrew his name from nomination. Arriving on stage to the tune of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down," Blumenthal remarked that he had made mistakes, but that he had taken responsibility for his actions and that the campaign must be about the people of Connecticut . [129] [130] Two days after accepting the party nomination, he formally apologized "for repeatedly referring to himself as a Vietnam veteran or referencing his return from Vietnam," regretting having not been clear or precise about his service in the Marine Corps Reserves. [131]

Polling data published by Rasmussen in early-June 2010 showed that after having formally apologized for claiming he had served in Vietnam, Blumenthal had rebounded and held a twenty-three point lead against leading Republican challenger, Linda McMahon. [132]

On November 2, 2010, Blumenthal won election to the United States Senate . He defeated Linda E. McMahon (R), Warren B. Mosler (I), John Mertens (I), Brian K. Hill (I), Jeff Russel (I), Rodd Vachon (I), Jay J. Giles (I), John Traceski (I), Matthew Coleman (I) and Dave Olszta (I) in the general election. [133]

On November 7, 2006, Richard Blumenthal won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Connecticut. He defeated Robert Farr (R), Nancy Burton (Green) and John M. Joy (Write-in) in the general election.

• 2006 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary

On November 5, 2002, Richard Blumenthal won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Connecticut. He defeated Martha Dean (R) in the general election.

• 2002 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary

On November 3, 1998, Richard Blumenthal won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Connecticut. He defeated Santa Mendoza (R) and Richard J. Pober (L) in the general election.

• 1998 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses.

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Richard Blumenthal did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Notable endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage and endorsements scopes.

Campaign finance summary

Personal gain index.

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants. It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org , Blumenthal's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $86,307,329 and $121,299,056. That averages to $103,803,192 , which is higher than the average net worth of Democratic senators in 2012 of $13,566,333.90. Blumenthal ranked as the 2nd most wealthy senator in 2012. [134] Between 2009 and 2012, Blumenthal's calculated net worth [135] increased by an average of 1 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent. [136]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org , Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Blumenthal received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 2009-2014, 26.38 percent of Blumenthal's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below. [139]

Ideology and leadership

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack , Blumenthal was a " rank-and-file Democrat ," as of July 2014. This was the same rating Blumenthal received in June 2013. [140]

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party. [141]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Richard Blumenthal missed 17 of 1,412 roll call votes from January 2001 to September 2015. This amounts to 1.2 percent, which is better than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015. [142]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Blumenthal paid his congressional staff a total of $1,703,678 in 2011. He ranked 1st on the list of the lowest paid Democratic senatorial staff salaries and ranked 9th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Connecticut ranked 14th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011. [143]

National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

Blumenthal ranked 5th in the liberal rankings among U.S. senators in 2013. [144]

Blumenthal ranked 1st in the liberal rankings in 2012. He was tied with another senator for the ranking. [145]

Blumenthal ranked 37th in the liberal rankings in 2011. [146]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

Blumenthal voted with the Democratic Party 97.5 percent of the time, which ranked 8th among the 53 Senate Democratic members as of July 2014. [147]

Blumenthal voted with the Democratic Party 97.6 percent of the time, which ranked 8th among the 51 Senate Democratic members as of June 2013. [148]

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Blumenthal resides in Greenwich, Connecticut , with his wife, Cynthia. The couple has four children together. [149]

2022 Elections

• Newsletters

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• ↑ Project Vote Smart , "Richard Blumenthal," accessed June 19, 2013
• ↑ Biographical Director of the United States Congress, "BLUMENTHAL, Richard, (1946 - )," accessed February 12, 2015
• ↑ United States Senate , "Committee Assignments of the 115th Congress," accessed January 19, 2017
• ↑ United States Senate , "Committee Assignments of the 114th Congress," accessed February 17, 2015
• ↑ Congressional Quarterly , "Senate Committee List," accessed January 22, 2013
• ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Stamford Plus , "Blumenthal receives top tier committee assignments," accessed October 14, 2011
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2670 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.6363 - Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5860 - Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3746 - Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023," accessed February 27, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.7 - Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020." accessed February 23, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.44 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives relating to "Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached 'Stabilizing Braces'"" accessed February 28, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.J.Res.30 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to 'Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights'." accessed February 23, 2024
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3684 - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.1319 - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5376 - Inflation Reduction Act of 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.1605 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.7776 - James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.3373 - Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.4346 - Chips and Science Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3755 - Women's Health Protection Act of 2021," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2471 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.8404 - Respect for Marriage Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.6833 - Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.937 - COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.3076 - Postal Service Reform Act of 2022," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.2938 - Bipartisan Safer Communities Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5305 - Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.Res.24 - Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.350 - Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022," accessed January 23, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.Con.Res.14 - A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2022 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2023 through 2031.," accessed April 15, 2022
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.5746 - Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2617 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023," accessed January 20, 2023
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment with an Amendment)," December 18, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 2)," December 11, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Nomination (Confirmation Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," October 6, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," October 5, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2, As Amended)," June 28, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1959)," February 15, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1958 As Modified)," February 15, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1948)," February 15, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Amdt. No. 1955)," February 15, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Consideration of S. 2311)," January 29, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Amendment (McConnell Amdt. No. 667)," July 28, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Amendment (Paul Amdt. No. 271 )," July 26, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Amdt. No. 270)," July 25, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Proceed to H.R. 1628)," July 25, 2017
• ↑ U.S. Senate , "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 7, 2017
• ↑ U.S. Senate , "On the Cloture Motion (Upon Reconsideration, Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 6, 2017
• ↑ U.S. Senate , "On the Decision of the Chair (Shall the Decision of the Chair Stand as the Judgment of the Senate?)," April 6, 2017
• ↑ U.S. Senate , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)," April 6, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 6157)," September 18, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 5895)," September 12, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (H. R. 6157 As Amended)," August 23, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 5895 As Amended)," June 25, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1625)," March 23, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1892 with an Amendment (SA 1930))," February 9, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 695)," February 8, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment with Further Amendment)," January 22, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 195)," January 22, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 195)," January 19, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1370)," December 21, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion to Recede from the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1 and Concur with Further Amendment ," December 20, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Joint Resolution (H.J. Res. 123)," December 7, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 1 As Amended )," December 2, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Concurrent Resolution (H. Con. Res. 71 As Amended)," October 19, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amdt. to the Senate Amdt. with an Amdt. No. 808 to H.R. 601)," September 7, 2017
• ↑ U.S. Senate , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 244)," May 4, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Joint Resolution (S.J. Res. 54, As Amended), December 13, 2018
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2810 As Amended)," September 18, 2017
• ↑ The Hill , "Senate sends $692B defense policy bill to Trump's desk," November 15, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 3364)," July 27, 2017
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (S. 722 As Amended)," June 15, 2017
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 113th Congress," accessed April 29, 2015
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 114th Congress," accessed January 5, 2017
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress," April 13, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1314," accessed May 25, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "H.R. 1314 (Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act)," accessed May 25, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "Roll Call for HR 2146," June 24, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Senate approves fast-track, sending trade bill to White House," June 24, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Obama signs trade bills," June 29, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.Con.Res.11," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany S. Con. Res. 11)," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Republicans pass a budget, flexing power of majority," accessed May 5, 2015
• ↑ The Hill , "Redone defense policy bill sails through House," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S. 1356," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1356)," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 618," accessed November 12, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 1735)," accessed October 6, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 239," accessed May 27, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R. 1735," accessed May 27, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1314)," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Clerk.House.gov , "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 579," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HR 1191," accessed May 8, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "H.R. 1191," accessed May 8, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on McConnell Amdt. No. 2640 )," accessed September 10, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "HJ Res 61," accessed September 10, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on McConnell Amdt. No. 2640 )," accessed September 16, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on McConnell Amdt. No. 2640 )," accessed September 17, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S.Amdt.2656 to S.Amdt.2640," accessed September 17, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on McConnell Amdt. No. 2656)," accessed September 17, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "H.R.2048," accessed May 26, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2048)," accessed June 2, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S 754," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Passage of the Bill (S. 754, As Amended)," accessed November 1, 2015
• ↑ Congress.gov , "S 2146," accessed November 2, 2015
• ↑ Senate.gov , "On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to S. 2146)," accessed November 2, 2015
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
• ↑ Congressional Record , "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
• ↑ 112.0 112.1 112.2 112.3 Project Vote Smart , "Richard Blumenthal Key Votes," accessed October 16, 2013
• ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 2642 (Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 )," accessed February 12, 2014
• ↑ 114.0 114.1 NY Times, "Senate Passes Long-Stalled Farm Bill, With Clear Winners and Losers," accessed February 12, 2014
• ↑ 115.0 115.1 Politico, "Senate approves $1.1 trillion spending bill," accessed January 20, 2014
• ↑ 116.0 116.1 116.2 U.S. Senate, "January 16 Vote," accessed January 20, 2014
• ↑ Roll Call, "House Passes $1.1 Trillion Omnibus," accessed January 20, 2014
• ↑ The Washington Post , "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
• ↑ Senate.gov , "H.R. 2775 As Amended," accessed October 31, 2013
• ↑ U.S. Senate , "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
• ↑ The CT Mirror , "Clay Cope wins landslide in 5th, Daria Novak a squeaker in 2nd," May 9, 2016
• ↑ The CT Mirror , "CT GOP backs Carter for Senate, denies Wolf primary margin," May 9, 2016
• ↑ CNN , "Connecticut Senate Results," November 8, 2016
• ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State , "2010 General Election Results," November 2010
• ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named hp
• ↑ Public Policy Polling , "Blumenthal starts with commanding lead," January 6, 2010 ( dead link )
• ↑ Quinnipiac University , "Blumenthal Body Slams Republicans In Connecticut, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Lieberman Approval Plummets," January 14, 2010
• ↑ Rasmussen Reports , "Connecticut Senate: Blumenthal Loses Ground, Leads McMahon By Just Three Points," May 19, 2010
• ↑ The Hartford Courant , "Richard Blumenthal Nominated By Acclamation After Merrick Alpert Withdraws; Alpert Initially Blocked From Speaking At Convention," May 21, 2010
• ↑ Hot Air , "Blumenthal wins Dem endorsement by acclamation at CT convention," May 22, 2010
• ↑ Politics Daily , "Richard Blumenthal Apologizes for Vietnam Statements," May 24, 2010
• ↑ Rasmussen Reports , "Connecticut Senate: Blumenthal 56%, McMahon 33%," June 3, 2010
• ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk , "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed December 3, 2010
• ↑ OpenSecrets , "Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), 2012," accessed March 4, 2013
• ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or the member's first year in office (as noted in the chart below).
• ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
• ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
• ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
• ↑ OpenSecrets.org , "Sen. Richard Blumenthal," accessed September 18, 2014
• ↑ GovTrack , "Richard Blumenthal," accessed July 17, 2014
• ↑ OpenCongress , "Rep. Richard Blumenthal," archived February 28, 2016
• ↑ GovTrack , "Richard Blumenthal," accessed September 23, 2015
• ↑ LegiStorm , "Richard Blumenthal," accessed August 6, 2012
• ↑ National Journal , "2013 Senate Vote Ratings," accessed July 17, 2014
• ↑ National Journal , "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 21, 2013
• ↑ National Journal , "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," accessed February 23, 2012
• ↑ OpenCongress , "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
• ↑ United States Senator Richard Blumenthal , "Biography," accessed October 14, 2011
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  Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Senator for Connecticut

pronounced RIH-cherd // BLOO-mun-thawl

Blumenthal is the senior senator from Connecticut and is a Democrat. He has served since Jan 5, 2011. Blumenthal is next up for reelection in 2028 and serves until Jan 3, 2029. He is 78 years old.

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Head over to Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s website . If you are having a problem with a government agency, look for a contact link for casework to submit a request for help. Otherwise, look for a phone number on that website to call his office if you have a question.

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Not all Members of Congress will accept messages from non-constituents. You can try your luck by visiting Blumenthal’s website . Otherwise, try contacting your own senator:

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You are currently on the website GovTrack.us, which has no affiliation with Blumenthal and is not a government website. Choose from the options above to find the right way to contact Blumenthal.

Ideology–Leadership Chart

Blumenthal is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the Senate positioned according to our ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).

The chart is based on the bills Blumenthal has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 3, 2019 to May 14, 2024. See full analysis methodology .

Committee Membership

Richard Blumenthal sits on the following committees:

• Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations subcommittee Chair
• Privacy, Technology, and the Law subcommittee Chair
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
• Senate Committee on Armed Services Airland , Personnel , Readiness and Management Support , Seapower subcommittees
• Senate Special Committee on Aging
• Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control

Enacted Legislation

Blumenthal was the primary sponsor of 17 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:

• S. 305: 250th Anniversary of the United States Marine Corps Commemorative Coin Act
• S. 5329 (117th): A bill to amend the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act to improve the program, and for other purposes.
• S. 3278 (117th): Reese’s Law
• S. 3820 (117th): VA Nurse and Physician Assistant RAISE Act
• S. 1210 (117th): Big Cat Public Safety Act
• S. 1086 (117th): Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act
• S. 1321 (116th): Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act

View All »

Does 17 not sound like a lot? Very few bills are ever enacted — most legislators sponsor only a handful that are signed into law. But there are other legislative activities that we don’t track that are also important, including offering amendments, committee work and oversight of the other branches, and constituent services.

We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110 th Congress).

Bills Sponsored

Issue areas.

Blumenthal sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:

Armed Forces and National Security (20%) Transportation and Public Works (19%) Health (18%) Crime and Law Enforcement (16%) Commerce (9%) Science, Technology, Communications (6%) Taxation (6%) Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues (6%)

Recently Introduced Bills

Blumenthal recently introduced the following legislation:

• S. 4280: A bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act …
• S. 4206: A bill to amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit certain …
• S. 4171: MPACT Act
• S. 4167: Judicial Ethics Enforcement Act of 2024
• S.Res. 655: A resolution honoring the life of Joseph Isadore Lieberman, former Senator for the …
• S. 4116: Servicemember Healthcare Freedom Act of 2024
• S. 4087: Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act

Most legislation has no activity after being introduced.

Voting Record

Blumenthal voted yea, blumenthal voted nay, missed votes.

From Jan 2011 to May 2024, Blumenthal missed 45 of 4,421 roll call votes, which is 1.0%. This is better than the median of 2.9% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.

We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absenses, major life events, and running for higher office.

Show the numbers...

Primary Sources

The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:

• unitedstates/congress-legislators , a community project gathering congressional information
• The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
• GPO Member Guide for the photo
• GovInfo.gov , for sponsored bills

Pronunciation Guide

Richard Blumenthal is pronounced:

RIH-cherd // BLOO-mun-thawl

The letters stand for sounds according to the following table:

Capital letters indicate a stressed syllable.

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• Subcommittees

committee members