WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on June 11: The National Defense Authorization Act approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee includes several provision championed by U.S Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to support military families. "We owe an immense debt of gratitude to the military families who make sacrifices every day in service to our country - supporting their well-being is our responsibility, and absolutely fundame  more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on June 5: On Friday, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) held a media availability to discuss the ongoing protests following the murder of George Floyd, and action Congress should take to address the racial disparities in policing, education and health care. "I'm proud of these protesters. I'm heartbroken that this moment is necessary. I'm committed to making sure  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, June 6 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, released a letter he led along with a bipartisan coalition of Representatives urging Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper to provide hazardous duty pay to U.S. Navy and other servicemembers who have continued to serve throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, there are over 6,000  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, June 11 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) joined Rep. Joseph D. Morelle (NY-25) and 55 other Members of Congress in writing to Treasury Department Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to raise concerns about the continued lack of transparency and guidance surrounding the implementation of the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) pro  more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on June 9 after consponsoring the Justice in Policing Act and joining Congressional leaders in moment of silence to honor the lives of those lost to acts of police brutality: "I was proud to stand with members of House and Senate Leadership and members of the Congressional Black Caucus yesterday to introduce the Justice in Policing Act, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the legislation. This l  more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on June 9: Congresswoman Hayes joined House colleagues in introducing the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, and the Police Training and Accountability Act with Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02). These crucial pieces of legislation are designed to provide needed training, resources, and oversight of law enforcement agencies, while protecting communities that have been subjected to disproportionate levels of  more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) announced that Child First will receive a $3 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. Child First is an evidence-based, two-generation, home-based trauma and mental health intervention that heals and protects young children and families who have experienced trauma and adversity. "Congratulations to Child First on their grant to develop their new Nationa  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, June 10 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) cosponsored the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 that was introduced by the Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass and the House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler. "Our nation is crying out for action to address police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. Thousands have peacefully taken to our streets calling for accountability. This bold  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, June 9 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (CT-01) welcomed a report from the Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) on Social Security field offices, "Decisions Regarding Field Office Closures". "This new report from the SSAB underscores the importance of Social Security's nationwide network of over 1,200 field offices, which had 43 million visitors and receive  more

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Virginia, issued the following joint statement after Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to appear before the committee and explain the use of the military in response to peaceful protesters in the D.C.: The statement was co-authored by Reps. Susan Davis, D-California, Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, Rick Larsen, D-Washington, Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, John Garamendi, D-California, Jackie Speier, D-California, Tulsi Gabbard,   more

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced an amendment to the Great American Outdoors Act that would prohibit the use of funds to implement the President's proclamation eliminating protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. On June 5, 2020, President Donald Trump announced that he would open the region's only marine national monument to commercial fishi  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, June 9 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that Industrial Heater Corporation in Cheshire is this week's "Murphy's Monday Manufacturer." Founded in 1921 and employing 47 people out of a 35,000 square-foot facility, Industrial Heater specializes in the manufacturing of process heating elements, mostly band heaters used in injection molding. The company does work for government  more

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on June 10: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday questioned education officials on safely reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. During today's hearing, Murphy pressed former Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. and Denver Public Schools Superintendent Susana Cordova on the need for more emergency funding fo  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following op-ed on June 12, published in Foreign Affairs: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday authored an op-ed in Foreign Affairs making the case that a new civil rights movement--sparked by the protests following the murder of George Floyd--could potentially reverse some of the damage done to American influence and power by the Trump administration and   more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement in response to the Government Accountability Office's recommendations to Congress for protecting Inspectors General: "We've seen President Trump weaponize inspectors general to reward friends and punish enemies. It's time for Congress to stop this kind of abuse--now and in the future. "I'm glad to see the GAO agrees with my legislation that would only allow for inspectors general to be removed for ca  more

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following remarks on June 10: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, on Wednesday delivered remarks at the Project on Middle East Democracy's virtual event on President Trump's proposed Middle East and North Africa budget for Fiscal Year 2021. In his remarks, Murphy blasted the Trump administration  more

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the Committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021. The legislation contains a number of key provisions Blumenthal fought to include to invest in Connecticut's defense manufacturing workforce and enhance national security. The bill pa  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Michael Carvajal seeking an explanation for BOP's failed response to the spread of COVID-19 at FCI Danbury. The letter follows a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing "Examining Best Practices for Incarceration and Detention During COVID-19," during which Blumenthal questioned Carv  more

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) and Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and Juan Vargas (D-CA) in a letter to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Matthew Albence demanding answers on the agencies' involvement with the   more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) co-sponsored the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities, introduced by U.S. Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representative Karen  more

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday wrote to President Trump calling on him to require all federal officers engaged in domestic security, including crowd control at protests and demonstrations, to identify themselves and their agency. This letter comes after Murphy and Schumer announced legislation last week requiring unidentified law enforcement   more