WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on federal efforts to address marine debris. The report (GAO-19-653) is titled "Marine Debris: Interagency Committee Members Are Taking Action, but Additional Steps Could Enhance the Federal Response". The report was sent to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, Sen. Cory A. Booker, D-New Jersey, Sen.   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) and Rep. Ron Estes (KS-04) introduced the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA). "Research and development are a driver of jobs and innovation both in Connecticut and across our nation. I was proud to have led the effort to enact a permanent extension of the R&D tax credit in 2015. This has provided American businesses with the certainty needed to inves  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Friday that BioXcel Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has been named "Innovator of the Month." The company employs 25 people at their headquarters in New Haven and utilizes a unique artificial intelligence (AI) that draws from machine learning and big data analytics along with expertise and intuition of human experience in dr  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that Kitchen Brains in Stratford is this week's "Murphy's Monday Manufacturer." Kitchen Brains specializes in designing, engineering and manufacturing innovative controllers, sensors and IoT solutions for commercial kitchens. Their products can be found in major restaurants, as well as the equipment manufacturers that serve them, in over 13  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), joined U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) this week in introducing a bipartisan resolution calling for action to quell the fires and stop illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The resolution recognizes the critical role the Amazon plays in the Earth's climate system and calls on the Brazilian government to strengthen en  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- 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, Pensions and Labor Committee, authored an op-ed in Modern Healthcare on the Republican sabotage of the American health care system and the potentially devastating consequences of the Texas v. United States lawsuit if it prevails. Last year, 18 Republican state attorneys general, led by Texas, sued the federal gove  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 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 Committee, secured critical investments for the Long Island Sound in appropriations bills that passed committee this week and last week. "Long Island Sound is central to Connecticut's economy and our environment," said Murphy. "As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I've made it my mission to reach across the ai  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) this week introduced a bipartisan resolution designating the week of September 23 through September 27, 2019, as "Malnutrition Awareness Week." Malnutrition is a significant problem in the United States and occurs when a person does not get enough nutrients. The resolution recognizes registered dietitian nutritionists and  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, along with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) announced that they have secured increased funds for Senate offices to pay their interns, within legislation passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The senators have championed this effort  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, Sept. 23 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Amid a whistleblower complaint about President Trump's call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and holding of U.S. military aid to Ukraine, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Monday at a press conference in Hartford called out the Trump administration for pressing the Ukrainian government to interfere in the 2020 U.S.   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- 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, on Thursday joined the Project on Middle East Democracy and twelve other advocacy organizations to highlight the upcoming one year anniversary of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and cast a light on the Saudi govern  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, Sept. 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: With the Affordable Care Act under attack by the Trump administration's continued sabotage efforts, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Friday held a press conference with health care professionals, community advocates and people with pre-existing conditions to talk about what's at stake for the over  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * - Federal Labor officials confirm Eastern Connecticut has great momentum in filling new shipyard jobs with innovative model * * * Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, commended the continued success of the Eastern Connecticut Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (MPI), the award-winning job skills training pro  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) called for the House of Representatives to move forward with an impeachment inquiry related to the President and his actions. Rep. Courtney released the following statement: "Over the last several months, I have remained firmly committed to taking the process of investigating the President's actions in 2016 one step at a time to methodically uncover the facts, to in  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, Sept. 23 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on a whistleblower complaint filed by a member of the intelligence community: "We have arrived at a critical juncture in time for the rule of law in the United States, and for this Administration's faithfulness to our Constitution," said Congressman Courtney. "The recently reported whistleblower complaint regarding the President's communications with a foreign leader and related actions are, accor  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement after reports that President Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about investigating Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden: "President Trump is continuing to test the bounds of our laws and our Constitution. No President of the United States should use their position to insist that a foreign leader investigate one of his political opponents--let alone withhold Congression  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: "Since being sworn into Congress, I have heard a daily debate about the impeachment of the president from my colleagues, my constituents, and the media. Throughout these weeks and months, I have been consistent in stating that the process must play out. While many of the president's actions have drawn the ire of Congress, I was not quick to support impeachment and felt we only had one opportunity to make t  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on the impeachment inquiry on President Trump: "The House of Representatives is going to move forward with an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. "We have no other option. The President has shown contempt for the truth, attacked our institutions, ignored the Constitution, refused Congressional oversight, refused to comply with subpoenas, ordered administration officials to refuse to testify, and asserte  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on a House Intelligence Committee hearing with the Director of National Intelligence: "Having reviewed President Trump's phone call with the President of Ukraine as well as the whistleblower complaint, I entered today's Intelligence Committee hearing looking for answers about the role that the White House, Justice Department, and President's personal lawyer played in the President's alleged solicitation of ele  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on the released transcript of President Trump conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "The telephone conversation between President Trump and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine is a shocking glimpse into the mind of a President who is either unwilling or unable to distinguish between presidential action and political attack. "As we suspected, President Trump did, in fact, request that a foreig  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: "The President's continued disrespect for a co-equal branch of government is evident. Releasing just the transcript is not sufficient, in fact it's Nixonian; the full whistleblower complaint must be disclosed. "In the process of Congressional investigations, the Trump Administration has continued to obstruct and break the law. I have spoken with Rep. Jim Himes, a senior member of the Intelligence Commi  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement after the passage of the Homeland Security Improvement Act (H.R. 2203) and the U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act (H.R. 3525): "Every American should be appalled by the treatment of migrant families and children who are seeking refuge and asylum. "This is not who we are as a country; that's why this week I voted for critical protections for these families. The Homeland Security Improveme  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on a whistleblower complaint within the intelligence community involving President Trump: "Here in the Constitution State, we take the rule of law and the Constitution seriously. In our system of justice, the rule of law must be followed. No one is above or beneath the law, and everyone must be held accountable. "After a complaint was made from a whistleblower within the Intelligence Community, the Trump  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Today, the Expand Social Security Caucus Co-Chairs, Reps. John B. Larson (CT-01), Raul M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), and Conor Lamb (PA-17), sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi strongly urging a vote on H.R. 860, the Social Security 2100 Act, in the House of Representatives before the Thanksgiving recess. "As demonstrated by this letter and by the legislation's   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement calling for a House Select Committee to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump: "I am calling today for a House Select Committee to investigate and move forward with impeachment proceedings against the President. "I reached this decision with sadness, but also anger, after the President has repeatedly broken laws and betrayed his oath of office. His seeking corrupt assistance from a f  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement calling on House to begin an impeachment inquiry against President Trump: "American democracy is not tangible. It cannot be seen or touched; it has no physical foundation or concrete infrastructure. American democracy isn't the pieces of paper that are displayed at the National Archives, upon which our nation's creators wrote the founding words of o  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement in response to President Trump's accusation that Murphy threatened the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky: "I stand by my belief that the President of the United States should never be allowed to use the Oval Office for personal gain, especially when it includes leveraging away the international credibility of the United States. "In the meeting Republican Senator Ron Johnson and I had with Pre  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after reading the transcript released by the White House of the July 25 call by President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: "This transcript is devastating. Within moments of President Zelensky discussing the need for U.S. security aid, Trump asks him to investigate his political opponents. "Throughout the call, Trump tells the Ukr  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement after reading the whistleblower complaint against President Trump: "We don't need to overthink this. The President of the United States engaged in a massively corrupt act and he admitted to it. President Trump urged a foreign government to investigate his political rivals and directly encouraged them to coordinate with his campaign operatives--all in plain sight. "The memo released by the White Hous  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-1), Rosa DeLauro (CT-2), Jim Himes (CT-3), Joe Courtney (CT-4) and Jahana Hayes (CT-5) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging the Trump administration to rescind its harmful new proposed rule that makes changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sens. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, and Todd Young, R-Indiana, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after Saudi Arabia transferred $500 million to United Nations for humanitarian programs for Yemen: Murphy said: "This is very welcome news. Saudi Arabia's $500 million contribution to the UN's programs in Yemen will save thousands of lives. However, the world's largest humanitarian crisis will continue to get worse unless   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- Sens. Todd Young, R-Indiana, and Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after Saudi Arabia transferred $500 million to United Nations for humanitarian programs for Yemen: "During my recent trip to Saudi Arabia, I met with Saudi leaders and received assurances they would soon provide the financial aid they had committed to help end the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. "I'm pleased Saudi Arabia is fulfi  more