WASHINGTON, D.C. — Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy issued sharp condemnations following President Trump’s announcement that the United States had launched strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran. Both senators criticized the decision as reckless and unlawful, emphasizing the lack of congressional approval and the potential for escalation into a broader conflict.
Senator Blumenthal said while he agrees that a nuclear-armed Iran poses a global threat, the use of American military force must be guided by both strength and strategy. “The Constitution and War Powers Act require every President to inform Congress and seek approval for using American military force. President Trump has done neither,” Blumenthal stated. He called for Senate Republican leadership to bring Senator Tim Kaine’s war powers resolution to the Senate floor and urged the administration to explain its strategy to both Congress and the American public. “My immediate concern is protection for our 40,000 troops and other personnel in the region,” he added.
Senator Murphy echoed those concerns, characterizing the strikes as illegal and politically driven. “Donald Trump, a weak and dangerously reckless president, has put the United States on a path to a war in the Middle East that the country does not want, the law does not allow, and our security does not demand,” Murphy said. He denounced the influence of what he called “cheerleaders of war” and stated there is no intelligence indicating Iran posed an imminent threat. “Only Congress can declare preemptive war,” Murphy said, calling for an immediate vote to block further unauthorized military action.
Attorney General Tong Advises Consumers to Consider Deleting 23andMe Data and Genetic Samples
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today announced Connecticut has joined a bipartisan coalition of 28 attorneys general objecting to the proposed sale of personal genetic information collected by 23andMe. The complaint and a separate objection to the bankruptcy sale, each filed in federal bankruptcy court on June 9, 2025, aim to stop the bankrupt company from auctioning off the private genetic data of roughly 15 million customers to the highest bidder without customers’ knowledge or consent.
23andMe, a popular direct-to-consumer DNA testing company, filed for bankruptcy and is now seeking to sell off its assets—including sensitive genetic and health data—in a high-stakes auction. Connecticut and other states argue that customers should have the right to control such deeply personal information and that it cannot be sold like ordinary property.
The states argue that this kind of information—biological samples, DNA data, health-related traits, and medical records—is too sensitive to be sold without each person’s express, informed consent. If the buyers are unwilling to provide such consent, it is possible that the information will be unable to be sold. In either case, the states will fight to ensure that genetic data isn’t misused, exposed in future data breaches, or used in ways customers never contemplated when they signed up to have their DNA analyzed.
“23andMe collected the most sensitive genetic data imaginable from millions of Americans. They failed to safeguard that data, and now they propose to auction it to the highest bidder, with no security or privacy assurances. Hell no. Connecticut is actively engaged in this bankruptcy proceeding to ensure 23andMe takes every measure to protect the security of this deeply personal information,” said Attorney General Tong. “It is not too late to delete your data and genetic samples, and I urge consumers to consider taking proactive steps to protect your privacy.”
It is not too late to delete your data and genetic samples. Since 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March, 1.9 million consumers have done so, according to company reports. Consumers can delete their 23andMe account and personal information with the following steps:
To Delete Genetic Data from 23andMe
1. Log into your 23andMe account on their website.
2. Go to the “Settings” section of your profile.
3. Scroll to a section labeled “23andMe Data” at the bottom of the page.
4. Click “View” next to “23andMe Data”
5. Download your data: If you want a copy of your genetic data for personal storage, choose the option to download it to your device before proceeding.
6. Scroll to the “Delete Data” section.
7. Click “Permanently Delete Data.”
8. Confirm your request: You’ll receive an email from 23andMe; follow the link in the email to confirm your deletion request.
To Destroy Your 23andMe Test Sample
If you previously opted to have your saliva sample and DNA stored by 23andMe, but want to change that preference, you can do so from your account settings page, under “Preferences.”
To Revoke Permission for Your Genetic Data to be Used for Research
If you previously consented to 23andMe and third-party researchers to use your genetic data and sample for research, you may withdraw consent from the account settings page, under “Research and Product Consents.”
Under the CTDPA, Connecticut consumers have the right to access, obtain, correct, and delete personal data collected about them under certain circumstances. Consumers have the right to opt out of the sale of their data, and to opt out of the processing of personal data for the purposes of targeted advertising or automated decision-making. The CTDPA also gives consumers the right to revoke consent that has been previously granted for the processing of their personal information.
Joining this lawsuit are the attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he will be joining a delegation of Connecticut state officials and business leaders at the 2025 Paris Air Show as part of a business recruitment mission intended to strengthen and support the state’s aerospace industry and the thousands of local jobs that it supports.
The aerospace industry employs nearly 30,000 people in Connecticut, the third highest concentration of aerospace employment in the U.S. The aerospace and defense industry accounts for more than 32% of Connecticut’s total exports.
“Connecticut is one of the top places in the world for aerospace companies to grow and develop, and it is our mission to help our state’s existing aerospace companies thrive and meet with international companies that are looking to establish operations in the U.S. market,” Governor Lamont said. “We want more of the world’s aerospace products to be made in Connecticut, where the world’s best and most talented workforce is located.”
The Paris Air Show is considered one of the most important tradeshows of its kind in the world and is attended by world leaders, governors of several U.S. states, military officials, and some of the top business executives of the commercial aerospace and defense industry. More than 2,454 aerospace and defense companies from throughout the world will be exhibiting.
Governor Lamont will be attending from June 15 to June 17, and his schedule includes attending industry networking events and meeting with several aerospace companies that have expressed interest in establishing operations in the United States. Other officials who are part of Connecticut’s delegation include Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe, Connecticut Chief Manufacturing Officer Paul Lavoie, and Advance CT President and CEO John Bourdeaux.
The State of Connecticut is sponsoring its own booth that will be occupied by ten aerospace companies with operations in the state, whose executives will be working to secure contracts for their products and services. These companies include:
Air Industries Group
Enjet Aero
Precision Sensors
NE-XT Technologies
Jonal Laboratories
Forecast International
Reno Machine
Production Metals, A Division of Ryerson
Mott Corporation
New England Airfoil Products (NEAP)
“We are excited to be in Paris with a full delegation to demonstrate the critical role Connecticut plays in the aerospace industry,” Commissioner O’Keefe said. “We are here to support our aerospace manufacturers, compete for businesses, introduce the show’s participants to our world-class workforce, and make sure that global companies know that our state is one of the top aerospace markets in the world.”
“We are here because Connecticut is an important player in the global aerospace ecosystem,” Bourdeaux said. “We invest a lot of time and resources into the Paris Air Show because it is a place where business gets done. We must be here to compete against other states, and I am proud to say that Connecticut competes very well in this industry. We have a strong track record in the aerospace sector, and we continue to be successful at bringing new corporate investors to our state.”
Connecticut is the #1 state in the U.S. for aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing, which contributes more than $6.6 billion to Connecticut’s GDP. Airbus North America Chairman and CEO Robin Hayes called Connecticut the company’s #1 supplier state, with more than one-third of their total U.S. spend going to Connecticut.
Connecticut has been participating in the Paris Air Show and the Farnborough International Air Show in England, which are held in alternating years, since 2006. These two tradeshows are considered the two most important events in the world for the global aerospace industry.
At the 2023 Paris Air Show, conversations between Governor Lamont, AdvanceCT, and Hanwha Aerospace resulted in Hanwha relocating its International Engines Business from South Korea to Cheshire, Connecticut.
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding passage in the Connecticut General Assembly of House Bill No. 7042, An Act Concerning Implementation of the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, to strengthen accountability for bad actors in the firearm industry. The legislation now heads to the Governor for his signature.
The legislation would permit the Office of the Attorney General to bring civil enforcement actions against gun manufacturers, distributors, marketers and retailers who fail to implement reasonable controls to prevent the sale of firearms to straw purchasers, firearm traffickers, individuals prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law or individuals the firearm industry member has reasonable cause to believe intend to use it for a crime or to cause harm to themselves or others. The bill also permits private citizens, or corporation counsels on behalf of municipalities, the right to bring suits for loss or injury as a result of a failure to implement those reasonable controls.
This bill would not impact responsible gun owners or responsible industry professionals.
“There is no legal immunity for reckless bad actors in the firearms industry who mislead and deceive or ignore our state’s strong gun safety laws. I am prepared to use the full weight of my civil enforcement authority to protect Connecticut families from gun violence. Connecticut has some of the strongest gun safety laws on the books in recognition of our state’s terrible history. This bill ensures Connecticut will continue to lead in keeping our communities safe,” said Attorney General Tong.
Attorney General Tong is part of a coalition of 16 attorneys general formed in 2024 to hold irresponsible firearms industry members accountable for their devastating impact on gun violence. This multistate coalition, the first of its kind, aims to reduce gun violence through the coordinated enforcement of state civil liability and consumer protection laws, among other authority, to promote public safety and saving lives.
The legislation is modeled after similar measures in coalition states, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington. Legal challenges to these laws have been uniformly upheld to date. In December 2024, both New Jersey and Minnesota sued Glock under their accountability statute for knowingly selling and manufacturing handguns that can be easily converted into machine guns.
The gun industry has enjoyed enormous exemptions from liability and accountability in court since the passage of the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which provides firearm industry defendants with broad immunity from many common law tort actions. Congress carved out six exceptions to this immunity, pursuant to which firearms sellers may be held liable for third-party crimes committed with their products. This includes civil actions alleging that a manufacturer or seller of a firearm knowingly violated a state or federal statute applicable to the sale or marketing of the firearm, and the violation was a proximate cause of the harm for which relief is sought.
Here in Connecticut, the families of the victims of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School opened the door to holding the industry accountable for gun violence by suing Bushmaster for improper marketing and advertising of its firearms under PLCAA’s predicate exception.
Bipartisan Coalition Calls on Congressional Leadership to Take Immediate Action to Protect World Trade Center Health Program Ahead of Imminent Funding Shortfall
(Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong today led a bipartisan coalition of 39 attorneys general urging Congress to take immediate action to address the impending funding crisis threatening the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), a lifeline for more than 135,000 first responders, survivors, and families impacted by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In a letter to congressional leadership, Attorney General Tong and the coalition called for urgent legislative action to ensure the long-term financial stability of the WTCHP, which is projected to face a devastating funding shortfall as early as next year.
“The survivors and heroic first responders of September 11—many of whom live in Connecticut— are not a political football. They were exposed to toxic dust and debris, and require specialized medical care to monitor and treat the serious diseases linked to their exposure. This is a non-negotiable obligation of our government, and Congress needs to set aside any disagreement or dysfunction to immediately address the looming funding shortfall,” said Attorney General Tong.
Established by Congress under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, WTCHP provides free medical care, monitoring, and treatment to more than 132,000 Americans living with 9/11-related health conditions. Patients served by WTCHP include survivors, first responders, and people who lived or worked near the crash sites, as well as those who participated in rescue, recovery, and cleanup efforts.
In the letter, the coalition writes that WTCHP has been an essential resource for 15 years for the more than 135,000 Americans exposed to toxic dust and debris following the collapse of the World Trade Center. The attorneys general note that patients include firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs, construction workers, volunteers, and community members who were present in the aftermath – many of whom are now suffering from chronic respiratory illnesses, cancers, mental health conditions, and other serious illnesses directly linked to their exposure.
The attorneys general argue that despite being reauthorized in 2015 and 2019 with overwhelming bipartisan support, the program now faces a severe funding shortfall that could result in the denial of care to thousands of current and future enrollees. The program is authorized to run until 2090, but the attorneys general contend that the far-off date is essentially meaningless if the program is not funded during that period.
In the letter, Attorney General Tong and the coalition argue that WTCHP funding gap is driven by increasing demand for specialized care, as more survivors and first responders are diagnosed with 9/11-related illnesses each year. They note that approximately 400,000 people were exposed to the toxic air around Ground Zero, and though only a third of that group are currently enrolled in the program, many first responders and survivors are still getting sick at an alarming rate.
The attorneys general contend that increased demand for services and treatment means that current funding levels are simply not enough for this country to keep its commitment to 9/11 heroes. Without additional funding, waitlists could grow, medical providers may be forced to cut back services, and the program could be unable to accept new enrollees, many of whom are only now receiving diagnoses for conditions directly linked to their exposure.
Attorney General Tong and the coalition are calling on Congress to act swiftly and decisively to ensure WTCHP has the full funding it needs. The attorneys general strongly urge Congress to enact legislation that will both address the WTCHP funding shortfall and provide the financial stability necessary for the program to serve current and future enrollees.
Joining Attorney General Tong in sending this letter are the attorneys general of American Samoa, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that letters are being mailed this week to more than 100,000 Connecticut residents notifying them that some or all of their medical debt has been eliminated under the second round of an initiative his administration launched last year through a partnership with the nonprofit organization Undue Medical Debt.
Under the partnership, Undue Medical Debt is leveraging investments from the state to negotiate with hospitals and other providers on the elimination of large, bundled portfolios of qualifying medical debt owed by Connecticut patients. Those who qualify must have income at or below four times (400%) the federal poverty level or have medical debt that is 5% or more of their income. (The current federal poverty level is an annual income at or below $32,150 for a family of four.) Since these medical debts are acquired in bulk and belong to those least able to pay, they cost a fraction of their face value, often pennies on the dollar.
In this second round, the state invested $575,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, and Undue Medical Debt was able to negotiate with a secondary market partner to acquire and eliminate more than $100 million in qualifying medical debt. The first round occurred in December and saw the elimination of approximately $30 million in medical debt for 23,000 of the state’s residents.
Those who have been identified for relief will receive a branded envelope and letter from Undue Medical Debt in the mail over the next several days. (To view a sample of what this letter looks like, click here.)
“Medical debt causes additional anxiety and stress when individuals and families are coping with potentially life-threatening health situations,” Governor Lamont said. “Over the next few days, more than 100,000 Connecticut residents who have been struggling to pay their medical bills will feel relief when they receive letters in the mail notifying them that their debt has been erased. I am hopeful that additional medical partners will soon sign onto this program to help more Connecticut families through further rounds of this initiative.”
“I’m very grateful for the State of Connecticut’s continued partnership in providing medical debt relief to its residents,” Allison Sesso, CEO and president of Undue Medical Debt, said. “The erasure of these debts of necessity wouldn’t be possible without community-minded leaders like Governor Lamont and his team, who believe medical debt should not be a hindrance to seeking needed care. We look forward to continuing our work in the state so families can seek healthcare with dignity.”
“Medical debt can be a crippling burden on patients, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet,” State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey, co-chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, said. “Erasing medical debt for an additional 100,000 residents will greatly ease the stress they are facing and will free them up to focus on their health and well-being. Thank you to Governor Lamont and Undue Medical Debt for their leadership on this innovative program.”
Because this debt erasure occurs through the purchase of large, qualifying bundled portfolios of debt from participating partners like hospitals and collection agencies, there is no application process for this relief and it cannot be requested.
Governor Lamont intends to continue partnering with Undue Medical Debt to enact further rounds of medical debt cancellation. The governor and the Connecticut General Assembly enacted legislation that makes $6.5 million in ARPA funding available for this initiative.
Bankruptcy Attempts End-Run Around Supreme Court Decision in Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy That Struck Down Third-Party Releases
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today objected to a proposed bankruptcy deal for firefighting foam manufacturer Kidde-Fenwal, Inc. that seeks to unlawfully release its parent company Carrier Global Corporation from liability for PFAS forever chemical contamination in the face of lawsuits filed by Connecticut and other states.
The bankruptcy deal attempts to resurrect a maneuver already declared illegal by the United States Supreme Court after Connecticut and other states objected to immunity for the Sackler family through the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy.
“Whether you are a family of billionaires or a multinational corporation worth billions of dollars, you cannot hide from liability behind someone else’s bankruptcy. We fought this in the Purdue bankruptcy and this question went all the way up to the Supreme Court. This is settled law,” said Attorney General Tong. “PFAS chemicals are a toxic menace to human health and our environment, and the cost to remediate this public health and environmental catastrophe will be massive. We will not allow Carrier to abuse the bankruptcy process to evade liability.”
Connecticut sued both KFI and Carrier in January 2024, alleging the companies knowingly contaminated Connecticut natural resources and harmed public health through toxic PFAS chemicals. Kidde-Fenwal is a former manufacturer of the “National Foam” brand of PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) once commonly used in firefighting. Connecticut banned the use of AFFF in most circumstances in 2021 due to severe adverse human health effects, including increased cancer risks, birth defects, and endocrine disorders, among other concerns. Today, nearly all humans have PFAS in their blood. PFAS chemicals are toxic and can persist in the environment indefinitely. PFAS chemicals can travel through the environment, including into drinking water sources, and accumulate in human blood. Even modest releases of PFAS can cause widespread pollution and damage.
Connecticut’s lawsuit is pending in federal court in South Carolina, along with lawsuits from numerous other states, public water providers, and personal injury claimants. KFI and Carrier are estimated to be liable for billions of dollars in environmental damages from PFAS contamination. KFI filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2023.
The proposed bankruptcy plan would have Carrier pay creditors a total of $540 million over five years. Any recovery on KFI’s insurance policies after litigation would be split between Carrier and its creditors, up to $3.5 billion, after which all remaining recovery would go to creditors. In return, KFI would grant its parent company, Carrier, a release which seeks to eliminate all PFAS-related claims against Carrier. The plan was negotiated between KFI, Carrier, and attorneys for private plaintiffs, who would receive 8 percent of the proceeds of the bankruptcy plan in exchange for their support.
In letter, Senate and House Committee members slam Collins’ untruthful narrative around his chaotic contract cancellations
“…[C]ancelling hundreds of contracts in a several-day period and then scrambling to restore dozens just a few days later is not an indication of good program management. It’s an indication of waste and incompetence.”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Committee member U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) today led a group of their colleagues to demand Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins immediately provide Congress the complete and updated list of VA contracts cancelled or proposed for cancellation, and blast his untruthful narrative around the contracts’ cancellation.
“Since February, our Committees have made more than a dozen requests, many of them bipartisan, for you to provide Congress with the complete lists of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracts you have cancelled or proposed be cancelled. Today, we write to once again demand these lists,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter to VA Secretary Collins. “In addition, we are requesting a briefing from VA officials on the process by which contracts were and continue to be identified and cancelled, any meaningful advance consultation with career VA officials whose programs are impacted by these cancellations, and all activities of the VA-designated Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) personnel or liaisons and other DOGE personnel involved in VA programs, operations, and management. Our requests for information on DOGE operations at VA began on February 12, 2025, and to date have received no substantive response.”
The lawmakers emphasized the total lack of transparency around Collins’ chaotic contract cancellation, which he bragged about on social media, stating it would save VA two billion dollars: “On February 24 and 25, 2025, you publicly celebrated on social media your plan, carried out with Elon Musk and DOGE, to cancel hundreds of VA contracts you claimed were for “PowerPoint slides and meeting minutes” and you indicated were valued at $2 billion. After you had given the orders for career officials in the Department to start the cancellations, a list of more than 870 contracts was leaked to Congress and the media…When the true purpose and impact of your mass contract cancellations were exposed, you and your leadership team directed career officials to pause some cancellations, stating in an internal email “VA Leadership is reconsidering previous guidance,” and “further contract reviews will be conducted to arrive at a new final decision.” Records show some contracts previously cancelled at your direction were then reversed while others remain cancelled.”
The lawmakers slammed Collins for his attempt to “hide the truth from Congress” regarding the contracts the Department cancelled: “If this was in fact a consultative and deliberate process, why did the Department have to reverse your orders of just a few days prior to blindly terminate hundreds of contracts?…Now, more than two months later, Congress is still waiting for accurate and complete information on the contracts you have cancelled, the contracts you have restored after being cancelled, the process the Department is using, and documentation for the savings generated and reinvested. When asked about receiving this information and a briefing on DOGE’s operations at the Department, your leadership stated simply that VA “will not be providing a briefing on the issue.”
The lawmakers also highlighted an incomplete, inaccurate list of more than 445 contracts VA claims to have cancelled, which the Department provided Congress on May 16th. They pointed to the multiple inaccuracies of the data the Trump VA provided, including how at least 80 of the contracts listed were terminated during the previous Administration, “wildly inaccurate value/savings figures” for numerous contracts, and how a number of contracts on the list do not appear in the official Federal government system of record—the Federal Procurement Data System—as being cancelled. The lawmakers noted all of these issues call into question the accuracy of the data provided to Congress, and point to Collins’ chaotic process to identify and cancel contracts.
The letter was led by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), and U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA), and was joined by Committee members and U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and U.S. Representatives Julie Brownley (D-CA), Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. (D-NJ), and Maxine Dexter (D-OR).
The full text of the Senators’ letter is available here and below.
Dear Secretary Collins,
Since February, our Committees have made more than a dozen requests, many of them bipartisan, for you to provide Congress with the complete lists of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracts you have cancelled or proposed be cancelled. Today, we write to once again demand these lists. In addition, we are requesting a briefing from VA officials on the process by which contracts were and continue to be identified and cancelled, any meaningful advance consultation with career VA officials whose programs are impacted by these cancellations, and all activities of the VA-designated Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) personnel or liaisons and other DOGE personnel involved in VA programs, operations, and management. Our requests for information on DOGE operations at VA began on February 12, 2025, and to date have received no substantive response.
On February 24 and 25, 2025, you publicly celebrated on social media your plan, carried out with Elon Musk and DOGE, to cancel hundreds of VA contracts you claimed were for “PowerPoint slides and meeting minutes” and you indicated were valued at $2 billion. After you had given the orders for career officials in the Department to start the cancellations, a list of more than 870 contracts was leaked to Congress and the media. In reality, these contracts were predominantly for direct services for veterans or supporting VA operations including: suicide prevention and mental health treatment; radiology services; outreach regarding burial benefits and health care services; cancer care; the PACT Act; disability claims processing and audits; and ensuring safe and clean facilities. Amazingly, while claiming the purpose of cancelling these contracts was to improve efficiency and reduce waste, you also directed the cancellation of more than a dozen contracts whose purpose was to assist VA in conducting oversight activities to identify and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse and follow the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the VA Office of Inspector General.
When the true purpose and impact of your mass contract cancellations were exposed, you and your leadership team directed career officials to pause some cancellations, stating in an internal email “VA Leadership is reconsidering previous guidance,” and “further contract reviews will be conducted to arrive at a new final decision.” Records show some contracts previously cancelled at your direction were then reversed while others remain cancelled. On March 3, 2025, you announced that instead of more than 870 contracts, you would cancel 585 contracts with an alleged value of $1.8 billion. This announcement provided no detail or information to support that claim while also stating VA would redirect about $900 million toward health care, benefits, and services for VA beneficiaries – again without evidence.
Also, on March 3, 2025, the Department indicated the 585 contracts would be cancelled “over the next few days” and that “the termination of these contracts will not negatively affect Veteran care, benefits or services, and will help VA better focus on its core mission: providing the best possible care and services to Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.” In your response to Senator King’s letter requesting information on these contracts, you refused to take accountability for your chaotic contract cancellation process and subsequent damage control. Your letter describes “a deliberative, multi-level review that involved the career subject-matter expert” but then admits the feedback from these experts was disregarded until after the fact when “VA rapidly reversed and restored contracted services in response to feedback from resident expert specialties, to include radiation safety, Veteran suicide prevention, and all other critical VA mission areas to avoid any clinically significant effect on patient care.” If this was in fact a consultative and deliberate process, why did the Department have to reverse your orders of just a few days prior to blindly terminate hundreds of contracts?
Now, more than two months later, Congress is still waiting for accurate and complete information on the contracts you have cancelled, the contracts you have restored after being cancelled, the process the Department is using, and documentation for the savings generated and reinvested. When asked about receiving this information and a briefing on DOGE’s operations at the Department, your leadership stated simply that VA “will not be providing a briefing on the issue.” Additionally, even though many of these contracts were officially cancelled more than two months ago, your staff has indicated “VA cannot release any contract lists as this is all ‘pre-decisional’ until the Contracting Officer officially notifies and signs the termination letter and negotiates potential settlement costs.” This statement is another attempt to hide the truth from Congress and runs counter to logic given that many companies and public databases list hundreds of VA contracts as already cancelled.
Further, on May 16, 2025, your staff provided Congress with a list of more than 445 contracts which it indicated were “terminated and closed contracts” and then went on to say “there are additional contracts in negotiation to be closed, and this list does not include contracts modified to change scope. The frequently mentioned list of over 800 contracts was not released by VA as finale (sic) and complete; it was an initial review followed by several additional reviews.” Our initial review of these statements and the information provided indicates a number of contradictions and inaccuracies, and raises numerous additional concerns and questions.
First, the statements from VA staff attempt to once-again mischaracterize the sequence of events associated with your multi-month effort to withhold information about your disorganized contract cancellation effort. The public record is clear: you directed the cancellation of hundreds of contracts impacting services for veterans and only reversed yourself when the nature of those contracts were publicly disclosed. Second, the list of 447 contracts includes at least 80 that were terminated during the Biden Administration. Third, according to the documentation you provided, the list of canceled contracts totals $120.8 billion dollars in contracting value and claimed savings. Given VA’s entire budget for Fiscal Year 2025 is approximately $426.3 billion, the value of these contracts would represent 28 percent of the Department’s budget. This questionable number is compounded by numerous contracts with wildly inaccurate value/savings figures. For example, one contract labeled “VA Program Management Support Services Contract” is shown with an astronomical value of $44.8 billion. However, federal data shows the value of this contract at approximately $85 million – meaning the Department has misstated the value by $44 billion. Finally, a number of the contracts provided do not appear on the list of cancelled contracts in the official Federal government system of record – the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). All of these points call into question the accuracy of the data in the document you provided to Congress.
We firmly support VA efforts to regularly review services procured by the Department. And that process should be built into any functioning acquisition and program management operation at VA. However, cancelling hundreds of contracts in a several-day period and then scrambling to restore dozens just a few days later is not an indication of good program management. It’s an indication of waste and incompetence.
Attorneys General Fight to Protect Funds Used for Emergency Services and Infrastructure Projects
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong, with a coalition of 19 other attorneys general, today filed two separate lawsuits against the Trump administration for attempting to illegally coerce their states into performing federal immigration enforcement duties by threatening to withhold billions in federal funding for emergency services and infrastructure.
Attorney General Tong and the coalition filed one lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The coalition filed a second lawsuit against the Department of Transportation (DOT) and DOT Secretary Sean Duffy. Each agency has imposed sweeping new conditions that would require the states and state agencies to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts or lose out on billions of federal dollars that states use to protect public safety and transportation infrastructure.
“The federal government needs to do its own job—lawfully—and stop this unconstitutional fixation on micromanaging sovereign state business. Immigration enforcement is a federal role. Plain and simple. You cannot coerce states into doing the federal government’s job by stealing our disaster relief and transportation funding. This is dumb and dangerous, and we’re fighting back,” said Attorney General Tong.
Congress has established dozens of federal grant programs administered by FEMA and the DOT. The money Congress appropriated to those programs funds projects that range from disaster relief and flood mitigation to railroad, bridge and airport construction.
In February, Secretary Noem directed DHS and its sub-agencies, including FEMA, to cease federal funding to jurisdictions that do not assist the federal government in the enforcement of federal immigration law. In March, DHS amended the terms and conditions it places on federal funds to require recipients to certify that they will assist in enforcing federal immigration law.
Soon after Noem’s decision, DOT Secretary Duffy issued a letter to grant recipients informing them of his intent to require all state and local governments to assist in federal immigration enforcement as a condition of obtaining DOT funds. Those funds include grants for highway construction, public transportation maintenance, and competitive funds for airport and railway improvement.
In recent weeks, state grant applicants have seen similar immigration-enforcement language added to the terms and conditions governing grants administered by the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.
These immigration conditions exceed FEMA’s legal authority. Congress appropriated the billions of federal dollars to help states prepare for, protect against, respond to and recover from catastrophic disasters. The safety and well-being of Americans could be at risk if states are forced to forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars in federal emergency preparedness and response funds.
Since 2021, Connecticut has received more than $1.2 billion from FEMA to prevent, protect against and respond to flooding and other natural disasters, terrorism, mass casualty events, and other catastrophes. These conditions will also damage the carefully built trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities that is critical to promoting public safety.
Imposing an immigration-enforcement condition on all federal transportation funds, which Congress appropriated to support critical infrastructure projects, is beyond the agency’s legal authority. States rely on DOT money to fund highway development and airport safety projects, to prevent injuries and fatalities from traffic accidents, and to protect against train collisions.
Connecticut receives billions of dollars in federal transportation funding. Withholding federal funding will damage public infrastructure across the county and will undermine public trust and cooperation in criminal investigations.
Joining Attorney General Tong in filing the lawsuits are attorneys general from California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin and Vermont.
This product has been recalled due to the results of a 60-day stability test that fell outside of the acceptable range for total yeast and mold. Stability testing is an important way to ensure a product maintains its quality. When a product does not pass a stability test, it is a sign that the product’s shelf life may be shorter than originally expected. The recalled product passed all required laboratory testing at the time it was distributed to cannabis establishments for retail sale.
If you have any health concerns, please review them with a medical professional. Patients who have this product may return it to the dispensary facility or hybrid retailer where you purchased it.
For any questions or concerns, please contact the Medical Marijuana Program at dcp.mmp@ct.gov.
