NORWICH, Connecticut, Aug. 7 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will award a federal grant totaling $2,668 to the Mystic Fire Department. The new federal funding was authorized under the bipartisan CARES Act (H.R. 748), which Rep. Courtney voted to pass on March 27th, and will support the fire department's purchase of emergency medical Personal Pro  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will award a federal grant totaling more than $30,000 to the North Thompsonville Fire District in Enfield. The new federal funding was authorized under the bipartisan CARES Act (H.R. 748), which Rep. Courtney voted to pass on March 27th, and support the fire department's purchases of emergency m  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, Aug. 8 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will award a round of federal grants totaling $859,266 to six fire departments across eastern Connecticut. FEMA will disperse the awards to fire departments in Enfield, Groton, New London, Norwich, Oakdale, Willimantic. The new grant awards will assist local fire departments in purchas  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 7: Today, Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) released a letter he wrote to Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority's (PURA) Chairman Marissa Gillett. Courtney's letter comes on the heels of PURA's announcement that they would open an investigation into the response to Tropical Storm Isaias by Eversource and United Illuminating (UI), and encourages Chairman Gillett to include in PURA's investigatio  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, Aug. 7 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will award a federal grant totaling more than $300,000 to the New London Fire Department. The new award will assist the department in purchasing lifesaving equipment and training such as hazardous materials equipment, firefighter training, firefighter cancer screenings, and more. The a  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following remarks on Aug. 5: * * * Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) delivered the following remarks at a press conference at New Haven City Hall urging the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to move the Census deadline, a clear attempt to leave communities undercounted. Thank you. It is an honor to join Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. The Lieutenant Governor has   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: * * * Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released the following statement on the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias and Connecticut's road to recovery: "Tropical Storm Isaias hit the State of Connecticut swiftly, spreading across western and central Connecticut in little more than an hour's time, bringing with it sheets of soaking rain and gusts of up to 60 miles an hour. It closed roads, downed   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Lois Frankel (FL-21), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Katie Porter (CA-45), Donna E. Shalala (FL-27), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Peter A. DeFazio (OR-04), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), and Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence demanding details on the administra  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release Aug. 3: Today, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) announced that the Center for Contemporary Printmaking received a $50,000 CARES Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Center for Contemporary Printmaking is a nonprofit arts organization that has served Norwalk since 1995. "Art nonprofit organizations, like the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, boost our economy by attracting tourism and encou  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 3: Today, the House of Representatives passed a spending package designed to fund large portions of the government for the next fiscal year. Included in the package was the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Act, which contained $61 billion in emergency spending to expand access to broadband for underserved communities. In addition, Governor Ned Lamont announced this week  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, Aug. 8 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) announced three FY 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) awards in the First Congressional District. In addition, he announced three FY 2020 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program - COVID-19 Supplemental (AFG-S) awards, made possible by the CARES Act. The Manchester Fire Department, the Hartford Fire Department, and the Bristol Fire Department each  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following op-ed: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented health and economic crisis. More than 150,000 Americans have been killed by this disease. At its peak, 42 million Americans were unemployed. Now we're facing a new crisis. Five million Americans could see a drastic cut in their Social Security benefits as a direct result of the COVID-19-induced economic downturn. Due to a quirk in the benefit formula, those bo  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Members of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, including U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) along with U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-1), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Jim Himes (CT-4), and Jahana Hayes (CT-5), today sent a letter to President Donald Trump in support of the request of Governor Ned Lamont to issue a declaration of emerg  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 3: Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (D-CT) released the following statement regarding the suggestion that President Trump circumvent Congress to temporarily defer the collection of payroll taxes: "Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate have rejected the President's proposal to include a payrol  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Massachusetts, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, issued the following joint statement with Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security regarding the suggestion that President Trump circumvent Congress to temporarily defer the collection of payroll taxes: "Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate have rejected the President's proposal to include a payroll tax cut in the next COVID-19  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Friday announced that the Central Vermont Medical Center Inc. in Berlin, Vt., and Connecticut Valley Addiction Recovery Inc. in Windsor, Vt., are each receiving federal grants of $1 million to target rural addiction challenges. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Ser  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: As negotiations continued on a COVID-19 relief bill, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Tuesday to blast his Republican colleagues in the U.S. Senate for not proposing sufficient funding for schools to safely reopen this fall. During his remarks, Murphy pointed out that schools will need additional fu  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, on Monday reintroduced The 21st Century Buy American Act, legislation to strengthen America's existing Buy American laws to ensure that the U.S. government prioritizes the purchase of American-made goods. The non-partisan Economic Policy Institute said Murphy's 21st Century Buy American Act would create up to   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: * * * U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday made the following statement after the New York Attorney General Letitia James moved to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA) after an 18-month investigation that found evidence of fraud and abuse: "The National Rifle Association doesn't represent gun owners - they exist to protect the profits of the gun industry. New York Attorney Genera  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: * * * U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) issued the following statement after UConn became the first football team to suspend its 2020 season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: "UConn clearly made a tough decision today, but I am glad they did it in consultation with players, coaches and staff. "We must put the health and safety risks associated with playing sports during a pandemic front and ce  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) led 25 Senate Democrats on Friday in calling on President Trump to reopen the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) marketplace to allow more people to enroll in health insurance and access federal subsidies, and to take steps to ensure seniors can enroll in Medicare coverage as they disproportionately face potential health issues related to COVID-19. In the letter, the sen  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 4: With gun sales spiking since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) urged Senate leadership and appropriators to include funding in the next relief package to address the dangerous backlog of background checks. The Senators called for an additional $20 million for the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) to  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Members of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, including U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) along with U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-1), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Jim Himes (CT-4), and Jahana Hayes (CT-5), today sent a letter to President Donald Trump in support of the request of Governor Ned Lamont to issue a declaration of e  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: As over 600,000 people in Connecticut continue to go without electricity due to damages caused by Tropic Storm Isaias, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with U.S. Representatives John Larson (CD-1), Rosa DeLauro (CD-3), Joe Courtney (CD-2), Jim Himes (CD-4) and Jahana Hayes (CD-5), on Thursday wrote a letter to Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Author  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 4: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday at a Committee hearing on Venezuela pressed U.S. State Department Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams on the administration's disastrous policy towards Venezuela that's left America in a weaker position, failed to restore democracy, and allowed the humanitarian situation  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 4: U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation today, mandating the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide health care and benefits to all veterans who served at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (K2) in Uzbekistan and have illnesses associated with the toxic substances found at the site. "This bill will bring life-saving relief to hundreds - and   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Representative Jim Himes (D-Conn.) to introduce bicameral legislation to protect domestic violence survivors from gun violence. The Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act is narrowly crafted to close loopholes that allow domestic abusers to legally obtain weapons. The bill is named in memory of  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), on Tuesday introduced legislation that allows any health care practitioner or professional in good standing with a valid practitioners' license to render services--including telehealth--anywhere for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, hea  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Thursday introduced legislation to block the sale of advanced armed drones to countries not closely allied to the United States. Last month, the Trump administration announced that it would allow the sale of advanced armed dr  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and 15 Democratic Senators joined a resolution led by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) calling on President Donald Trump to immediately extend for another five years the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia as it faces expiration on February 5, 2021, six-months from yesterday. The bilateral New START Treaty places mutual, verifiable limits  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-Ga.), both members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday introduced legislation to establish an Office at the U.S. State Department to coordinate policy and programs to help mayors and governors engage with their foreign counterparts and solidify a subnational diplomacy structure within the federal government.   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), both members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Wednesday made the following statement on the political and economic crisis in Lebanon, and the explosions that rocked Beirut: "The blasts in Beirut exacerbate an already dangerous and fragile situation in Lebanon, and our hearts go out to the innocent civili  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn) and U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), both members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Thursday said that factors like unemployment, hunger, lack of affordable housing, and education have far more impact on Americans' health--especially in communities of color--than just medical care and treatment. On Wednesday, they introduced l  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) sent a letter to Senate leadership urging the inclusion of ideas from their legislation, the Rebuilding Main Street Act, within the next relief package. The Rebuilding Main Street Act would incentivize and expand the use of the Work Share program, which allows businesses and nonprofits t  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on Aug. 6: As gun sales spike and reports of domestic violence increase across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Jim Himes (D-CT) led their Congressional colleagues in introducing strongly-supported bicameral legislation to protect domestic violence survivors from gun violence. The Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: As gun sales spike and reports of domestic violence increase across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Jim Himes (CT-4) led their Congressional colleagues in introducing strongly-supported bicameral legislation to protect domestic violence survivors from gun violence. The Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Sur  more