WASHINGTON, May 24 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) introduced the Caring for Survivors Act of 2021, a bill that will expand eligibility and increase payments for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits for survivors. The families of service members who died in the line of duty, and disabled veterans who died from a service-connected condition, receive DIC benefits monthly. "I introduced the Caring for Survi  more

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security and a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this week met with Ambassador Alfonso Quinonez of Guatemala to discuss the immigration situation at the U.S.-Mexico border and the importance of addressing the root causes of migration. Specifically, Murphy and Ambassador Quino  more

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this week met with Vice President of Colombia Marta Lucia Ramirez to discuss recent protests in the country and reports of violence the Colombian government's troubling response. After the meeting, Murphy released the following statement: "For years, Colombia and the United States have enjoyed a strong par  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, May 26 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD-AL) introduced the Recognizing Military Service in PSLF Act, a new bipartisan bill that would finally enable American service members to count the full length of their service towards their student loan forgiveness. Although they are currently eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), existing rules prevent many active duty servicem  more

VERNON, Connecticut, May 29 -- 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, issued the following statement in response to the release of the White House's FY2022 budget request: "President Biden's budget submission is the start of an intense process to achieve the right balance of our national defense. It is noteworthy at the outset that the nearly $12   more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, May 29 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: * * * House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) released a statement on the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and corresponding Record of Decision (ROD) on the Hudson Tunnel Project: "After the previous administration stalled this critical project causing travel delays and safety risks   more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, May 29 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: * * * House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) released the following statement on President Biden's fiscal year 2022 budget and its important provisions to create jobs and support children and working families: "The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the many challenges facing our nation: crumbling physical infrastructure and fraying human infrastructure, unaffordable child ca  more

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on President Biden's fiscal 2022 discretionary budget: * * * "With his fiscal year 2022 budget, President Biden is setting the United States on the course for broad and inclusive prosperity. The overall increase of 16 percent in domestic spending - including a 41 percent increase for the Department of Education, a 23 percent increase for the Department of Health a  more

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, issued the following Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations, issued the following statement on May 26, 2021, at a hearing entitled "The Future of SNAP: Moving Past the Pandemic": * * * Good afternoon and thank you, everyone, for participating today in the first hearing in the 117th Congress of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations. I am honor  more

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on May 27, 2021: On Wednesday, May 26, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes led her first hearing as Chairwoman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations. The hearing titled "The Future of SNAP: Moving Past the Pandemic" was held to recount the lessons learned about food security and nutrition access during the COVID-19 crisis -and also to use those lessons as a roadmap  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, May 29 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: * * * Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) praised the Biden-Harris FY22 budget. "In the wealthiest nation in the world, American's government should work to invest in its people, and President Biden's budget would do just that. The $8.2 trillion budget would be the biggest investment since World War II. "The President's plan to invest in our infrastructure, education, and jobs will lift up middle- a  more

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on May 26, 2021: Yesterday, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) introduced the Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021 (H.R. 3517) with Reps. Linda Sanchez (CA-38), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Michael Burgess M.D. (TX-26), and Jackie Walorski (IN-02) to improve access to osteoporosis screening. Fractures caused by osteoporosis are among the most significant challenges threatenin  more

MANCHESTER, Connecticut, May 29 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on May 28, 2021: Yesterday, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) visited Manchester and met with Mayor Jay Moran, Town Manager Scott Shanley, and other town officials to discuss how the town will be using $300,000 of the funding they received from the American Rescue Plan to expand their Human Services program. After, they toured the Manchester Area Conference of Churches facility, which offers a com  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, May 29 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (CT-01) applauded the announcement that President Biden's budget includes a 9.7 percent increase in the Social Security Administration's budget for 2022. "The Social Security Administration's mission is to help Americans access benefits they have paid for and deserve. However, due to years of underfunding, SSA has not   more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee, and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, along with Rep. John B. Larson, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, and Rep. Danny K. Davis, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, of the Committee on Ways and Means, applauded an arbitrator's decision to overturn  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, May 28 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Representatives Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Glenn 'GT' Thompson (PA-15) led a bipartisan group in writing to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to provide support for increasing dairy consumption for children by providing schools the freedom to offer low-fat, flavored milk as part of school meals programs. Reps. Courtney and Thompson have teamed up before on this issue thro  more

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Wednesday chaired a hearing on the funding needs of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The President's topline summary request includes provisions to repair the immigration system, strengthen national disaster preparedness, improve cyber defen  more

WASHINGTON, May 25 -- 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, authored an op-ed in the Hartford Courant to make the case for reforms to school discipline, which disproportionately impacts Black, Latino and LGBTQ+ students, those from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities. In the op-ed, Murphy lays out his plan to reintroduce the Ke  more

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Thursday released the following statement after Vice President Kamala Harris announced investments from 12 private companies and organizations to invest in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador as part of the administration's efforts to address root causes of migration to the United St  more

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Tuesday released the following statement on the Biden administration's investment of $1 billion for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which helps states and local communities develop projects that prepare for and reduce risk from extreme weather events and ot  more

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), on Friday released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted down legislation to establish a commission to study the Capitol insurrection: "What a disgrace. I wish it weren't true, but the Republican Party is still effectively a cult of personality that cannot break from its morally bankrupt deposed leader. On January 6, the seat of our democracy wa  more

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) on Thursday introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen trust in the government by improving the customer experience of citizens interacting with federal agencies. The Trust in Public Service (TIPS) Act would bolster trust by ensuring that citizen interactions with government are characterized by effectiveness, ease, a  more

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- 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. Representatives Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), on Friday reintroduced legislation that would allow caregivers to receive a Social Security credit. The Social Security Caregiver Credit Act would provide retirement compensation in the form of Social Security cre  more

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.), and Donald McEachin (D-Va.) on Wednesday reintroduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, legislation to protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint discipline practices   more

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on May 27, 2021: The most current data reveals that 101,990 students were subjected to seclusion or restraint in the United States during the 2017-18 school year, 78 percent of whom were students with disabilities and disproportionately Black boys. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and U.S. Repres  more

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced legislation to reduce exposure of servicemembers and their families to harmful PFAS chemicals. The PFAS Free Military Purchasing Act prohibits the Department of Defense from procuring, purchasing, and selling items that contain per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), dangerous and toxic chemicals commonly found in man  more

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act today to ensure used vehicles with open safety recalls are repaired before they are sold, leased, or loaned to consumers. The bill requires car dealers to repair any outstanding safety recalls in used cars prior to selling, leasing, or loaning them to consume  more

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), along with U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), introduced legislation directing the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to establish safety standards for firearm locks and firearm safes. "Firearms in homes, especially homes with children, should be safely locked awa  more

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), joined their colleagues U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.) in the House of Representatives in leading a bicameral group of lawmakers in urging Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to invest in b  more

WASHINGTON, May 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday introduced the College Athlete Right to Organize Act, legislation to provide collective bargaining rights for college athletes. Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. The College Athlete Right to Organize   more