WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) today released a letter to Acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper urging him to delay an impending policy change by the Department of Defense (DOD) that would prevent servicemembers with greater than 16 years of service from transferring their Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits to eligible family members. The policy change is set to take place on July 12 and the letter, signed   more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass H.R. 3055, a legislative package that includes five separate appropriations bills: Commerce, Justice, Science; Agriculture and Related Agencies; Interior and Environment; Military Construction and the VA; and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The appropriations package includes a total of $383.3 billion, and contains several meas  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Yesterday, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 (H.R. 3351). The appropriations measure provides $24.6 billion to cover a broad range of government functions and services, including the Department of Treasury, Executive Office of the President, District of Columbia and Federal Judiciary, the Small Busines  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: During the House's consideration this evening of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (H.R. 3351), Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Rosa DeLauro (C-CT), Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Kathleen Rice (D-NY) introduced an amendment which the House adopted unanimously to prohibit the General Services Administration (GSA) from using any of its ope  more

WASHINGTON, June 24 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Last week, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) agreed to conduct a study requested by Chairman of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee John B. Larson (CT-01) into whether doctors who help make Social Security disability benefit decisions are performing high-quality, accurate reviews. A recent series by the Tennessean raised concerns about reviews done by contracted doctors who ar  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today, Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (CT-01), sent a letter to the new Commissioner of Social Security, Andrew B. Saul, calling for strengthened customer service to be a priority for the Social Security Administration (SSA), including reduced waiting times for hearings and more responsive phone service. "Social Security is one of our nation's greatest achievements  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: In today's House Ways and Means Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee hearing, "Recent Limitations to the SALT Deduction & its Harm to Communities," Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) highlighted how the cap of the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction in the 2017 GOP Tax law forced Connecticut families to subsidize the tax breaks for the nation's wealthiest one percent. Click here to watch Larson's remarks (h  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) voted for the $4.5 billion emergency supplemental funding to provide humanitarian assistance to migrant children and families at the border. It also enhances protections for unaccompanied children, expands Congressional oversight, and restricts the Administration's ability to repurpose this funding meant to aid migrant families. "The humanitarian crisis on our border  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) voted to strengthen our nation's election infrastructure and protect our elections from foreign interference. The House today passed H.R. 2722, the Securing America's Federal Elections (SAFE) Act of 2019. This legislation would provide states with funding to update vulnerable and outdated voting equipment, require paper ballots, and set strict cybersecurity requiremen  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today, Reps. John B. Larson (CT-01), Joe Kennedy III (MA-04), and Seth Moulton (MA-06) joined by Reps. Donna Shalala (FL-27) and Katie Hill (CA-25) introduced ACTION for National Service. ACTION for National Service has 180 original cosponsors. This legislation renews President Kennedy's historic call to service by expanding national service opportunities like AmeriCorps, while offering student loan re  more

WASHINGTON, June 28 -- 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. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in introducing a bipartisan U.S. Senate resolution to honor the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Stonewall is an important moment in American history that sparked the modern day LGBTQ movement for equal rights in commun  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- 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 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, on Thursday applauded the final passage of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation authorizes the appropriations of funds for the Department of Defense and military construction that will help keep Connect  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Less than two weeks before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the Texas v. United States case, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Wednesday delivered remarks on the U.S. Senate floor to blast the Trump administration for taking the unprecedented step in supporting a lawsuit to gut th  more

WASHINGTON, June 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Friday that ReNetX Bio, a biotechnology company in New Haven, has been named "Innovator of the Month." ReNetX was founded in 2010 based on innovative technology and research done at Yale University to restore neurologic function after central nervous system (CNS) injury. The technology aims to give hope to patients with spinal cord injuries, stroke   more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: During a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee markup of the Lower Health Care Costs Act, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) offered an amendment to the Murray-Alexander compromise package to hold Republicans' feet to the fire for their continued efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and our health care system. The Lower Health Care Costs Act passed through Commi  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- 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, launched a new bipartisan effort Tuesday, to combat marine debris led by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act seeks to help reduce the creation of plastic waste, find uses for the plastic waste that already exists to keep  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, joined U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday in issuing the following statement after the Senate Fore  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined six senators in a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue probing the Trump administration's failure to release emergency nutrition assistance funds to Puerto Rico already appropriated by Congress. The Senate Budget Committee has oversight authority ove  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who led a group of senators on this week in writing a letter to President Trump, urging his administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans fleeing the political, economic, and h  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- 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 (HELP) Committee, joined U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Protect Our Care in holding a press call where they denounced Trump's disastrous Texas lawsuit to destroy America's health care and kick off mobilization efforts leading up to oral arguments in the case on July 9. Also on the call  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the Securing America's Federal Elections (SAFE) Act (H.R. 2722). The SAFE Act would bolster election security in a variety of ways, including providing funding to states to replace outdated and vulnerable voting equipment, mandating paper ballot voting systems and risk-limiting post-election audits, and mandating strict cybersecurity requirements for   more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement after the announcement that the House passed the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act (H.R. 299) was signed into law by President Trump: "The battle is over, and our Blue Water veterans won. For the men and women who have fought tooth and nail for well over a decade to secure our Blue Water Navy Vietnam veterans the care they rightfully deserve, last night's bill signing is a monumental victory, and a burden  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement after the Supreme Court handed down an opinion in Rucho vs. Common Cause and Lamone vs. Benisek, which deals with the constitutionality of and judicial role in partisan gerrymandering: "The Supreme Court's opinion today on gerrymandering cases represents a complete abdication of the responsibilities the Court is charged with. Justice Kagan wrote in her dissent that the Court is tasked with defending the foun  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, issued the following statement after voting against the border supplemental bill: "Today's bill did not go far enough in protecting children. Given the Trump administration's history of abuses, I could not in good conscience vote to give the Trump administration this funding because I do not trust them to properly care for the children. "  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, issued the following statement regarding the Department of Labor's proposed rule on Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs: "After nearly two years of waiting on the Administration to provide clarity about its industry-recognized apprenticeship program, the wait is still not over. The DOL's proposed changes are vague and lack sufficie  more

WASHINGTON, June 24 -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement regarding the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Trump: "During my career, I have learned that there are moments for calculation, prudence, compromise and the careful weighing of competing interests. And there are moments for clarity and conviction. This is such a moment. "The time has come for the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. From the mome  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement after the Supreme Court's rulings on partisan gerrymandering and including a citizenship question in the 2020 Census: "I am extremely disappointed by the Supreme Court's ruling on partisan gerrymandering. Partisan gerrymandering is undemocratic and results in the makeup of Congress being determined by who can game the system rather than by the will of the people. "If our justice system won't take action,   more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John Larson was joined by the Tri-Caucus Members of the Ways and Means Committee to drive home the importance of action on Social Security now. Reps. John Lewis, Linda Sanchez, and Judy Chu touted the importance of Social Security as the nation's leading insurance program and number one anti-poverty program; highlighted Social Security as a civil rights and w  more

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on June 27, on the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1790): Tomorrow this body faces an opportunity, in fact, an obligation to reassert its proper constitutional role in warmaking. I urge my colleagues to support the Udall-Kaine amendment, a provision to prohibit funding for unauthorized and unapproved military operations against Iran. No vote will  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement applauding Senate passage of an emergency supplemental appropriations bill that would provide humanitarian assistance for children and families at the U.S.-Mexico border: "We have a humanitarian crisis on our southern border. "The most urgent priority right now is getting money to help the families, children, and communities that are suffering under th  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee issued the following testimony by Wayne Norton, president and CEO of Yankee Atomic Electric, at a hearing to examine storage of nuclear waste and the Nuclear Waste Administration Act (S. 1234): "I am Wayne Norton, the President and CEO of Yankee Atomic Electric Company with responsibilities for Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company, Connecticut Yankee Atomic Electric Company and Yankee Atomic Power Company --three single asset  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following statements after the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously: "I've heard from countless Texans who are struggling to pay for their prescriptions and weighing financial decisions no family should have to make," said Sen. Cornyn. "There is bipartisan agreement that something must be done to reel in skyrocketing costs and protect  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following statement with Sens. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved their bipartisan legislation, the Saudi Arabia False Emergencies Act, limiting the ability of the President to skip Congressional approval of proposed arms sales by invoking an emergency: The Saudi Arabia False Emergencies (SAFE  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Sens. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement with Sens. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved their bipartisan legislation, the Saudi Arabia False Emergencies Act, limiting the ability of the President to skip Congressional approval of proposed arms sal  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, issued the following statement with Sens. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved their bipartisan legislation, the Saudi Arabia False Emergencies Act, limiting the ability of the President to skip Congressional approval of proposed arms sales by invoking an emergency: The Saudi Arabia False Emergencies (S  more