WASHINGTON, April 4 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report (GAO-20-134) is entitled "Temporary Protected Status: Steps Taken to Inform and Communicate Secretary of Homeland Security's Decisions". The report was sent to Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Maryland, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and Global Women's Issues, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, Sen. Cory Booker,  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on March 30: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) held a Facebook Live on Monday to discuss the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act--as well as the two previous economic stimulus packages--and answer live questions from constituents on how these packages will help Connecticut families and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the negotiations of the third c  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Jahana Hayes issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the third major piece of legislation passed by Congress to respond to the public health crisis in recent weeks. The Senate passed this legislation Thursday morning, and the President is expected to sign the bill into l  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement in response to the appointment of Glenn Fine, the current Acting Inspector General of the Department of Defense, to lead the newly created Pandemic Response Accountability Committee: "The funding included in the CARES Act was specifically designated to help American families and workers - not to personally enrich corporate CEOs o  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement after several major insurers - including Aetna/CVS Health, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem and Humana - announced expanded coverage for COVID-19 patients: "A crucial step in combating and eventually ending this epidemic is removing barriers to COVID-19 testing and treatment. "I am glad to see major insurers, including Cign  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, April 3 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded two federal grants totaling $1,021,294 to the Cities of New London and Norwich for the purpose of aiding the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new federal funding comes only six days after Courtney and the House of Representatives voted to pass the bipartisan Coronavirus A  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, April 2 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on April 1: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Treasury and the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) issued new guidance for small business owners seeking financial aid and relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "Passage of the bipartisan CARES Act opened up numerous additional resources for small business owners, and kickstarted brand   more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 784), the third coronavirus assistance package the House has passed to provide American families, workers, and small businesses with financial stability and security amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life for everyone, but people in eastern Connecticut  more

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) led a bipartisan coalition of twenty-six Members of Congress in writing to Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael M. Gilday to express concern for the health and safety of American sailors and Marines embarked on Navy vessels and facing the spread of COVID-19. Rep. Courtney's bipartisan letter comes following news of the  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, March 31 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) released the following statement after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved Connecticut's request for a Major Disaster Declaration in the State of Connecticut, and a concurrent order by the Department of Defense (DOD) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which unlocks additional federal assistance programs for the state: "Today's announcement   more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following joint statement: House Armed Services Committee leadership - including Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Subcommittee Chairs Joe Courtney (D-CT), John Garamendi (D-CA), and Jackie Speier (D-CA) - issued the following statement after Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly announced that Captain Brett E. Crozier will be relieved of his post as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier t  more

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a video detailing federal assistance available to small business owners after Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Hello, this is Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. COVID-19 is the biggest economic and health crisis the country has ever faced. Nurses and doctors are in intensive care units trying to save our humanity against  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on March 31: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a video on Equal Pay Day highlighting the disparity between women and men's wages and the need for equal pay. Hello, this is Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. Today is Equal Pay Day: the day that symbolizes how far into the year the average woman needs to work in order to catch up to what their male counterparts made in the previous year. Women earn, on  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following floor remarks on March 27 in favor of Congress's third coronavirus response bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act: Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the historic bill. This is the biggest economic and health crisis the country has ever faced. Nurses and doctors are in intensive care units trying to save our humanity against this awful pandemic. And this is the biggest governmental response t  more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, April 1 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) issued the following statement after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested a withdrawal of all products with ranitidine--the active ingredient in Zantac--from the market. DeLauro called on FDA to recall these drugs in December of last year due to high levels of N-Nitrososdimethylamine ("NDMA"), a probable human carcinogen. She reiter  more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, April 4 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on April 3: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Pete Gaynor, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec, FEMA Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force Lead Rear Admiral John Polowczyk yesterday requesting information on how the $16 billion appropriated in   more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on April 2: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Representative Jahana Hayes (CT-05) and Representative Joe Neguse (CO-02) introduced the Food Assistance for Kids and Families During COVID-19 Act of 2020. The bill would protect access to food for children and families across the United States by easing administrative barriers for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Chil  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-1), Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Jim Himes (CT-4), and Jahana Hayes (CT-5), on Friday sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging the department to immediately halt plans to finalize or move forward with regulations that will limit   more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, April 3 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on April 2: Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) announced Connecticut's First District will receive over $7.3 million in funding from the Department Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help low-income Americans that was allocated from the CARES Act that Congress passed last week. "Connecticut residents' lives have been upturned by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CA  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), John Larson (CT-1), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Jim Himes (CT-4), and Jahana Hayes (CT-5) announced that Connecticut would receive almost $5.4 million in federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. "No one   more

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following joint statement with three committee co-leaders - Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, Rep. John Garamendi, D-California, chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, and Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, chair of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel - after Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly announced that   more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (D-CT) and Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny K. Davis (D-IL) called for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) to develop a simple path forward for Social Security recipients to receive the economic impact payment. Yesterday, the IRS released guidance stating Social Securit  more

WASHINGTON, April 2 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (CT-01), Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny K. Davis (IL-07), and Select Revenues Subcommittee Chairman Mike Thompson (CA-05), and Health Subcommittee Chairman Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), and Ways and Means Members Reps. Bill Pascrell (NJ-09), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) led a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuch  more

WASHINGTON, March 25 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement after the bipartisan coronavirus stimulus funding passed in the Senate: "This bipartisan agreement makes massive investments necessary to meet this historic crisis. It is a monumental next step, but there must be more. It is a big and bold initiative - imperfect but imperative. Not a panacea, but powerful remedies for recovery. With the disease spreading, and thousands already out of work, action is f  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on March 26: In a letter to President Donald Trump, Connecticut's entire Congressional delegation urged support for Governor Ned Lamont's request for a major disaster declaration for the state of Connecticut in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-1), Joe Cou  more

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- 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, on Thursday sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging the department to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients the flexibility of using benefits on hot and prepared food as vulnerable recipients, including workers, families, an  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- 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. Senate Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence demanding transparency in the distribution of ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical supplies by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Murphy called out the  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and group of 17 senators, calling on the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General to conduct a formal investigation into troubling reports about the USS Theodore Roosevelt COVID-19 outbreak and decision to relieve Capt. Brett Crozier of his command of the ship. "Given the concerns for the h  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- 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, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Friday announced bipartisan legislation to help Peace Corps volunteers who have been suddenly evacuated from abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation will make sure Peace Corp volunteers can qualify for unempl  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, March 31 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * - Connecticut will use the funds to enhance the safety of in-person voting in polling places, expand vote at home mail-in voting, and protect the security and integrity of the election and the counting of ballots. * * * Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3)  more

WASHINGTON, April 2 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: In response to the United Nations' $2 billion emergency appeal last week to help fight COVID-19, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Wednesday led 16 Senate Democrats in urging the State Department to join the international community in funding international humanitarian assi  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-1), Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Jim Himes (CT-4), and Jahana Hayes (CT-5), on Friday sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging the department to immediately halt plans to finalize or move forward with regulations that will   more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on March 31: * * * - Murphy Joins World Affairs Council of Connecticut to Discuss COVID-19 Economic Relief and How the United States Should Lead Abroad * * * U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday addressed the World Affairs Council of Connecticut (CTWAC) for a virtual discussion on federal coronavirus response legislation, the ong  more

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee responsible for funding the Department of Labor, slammed the Department of Labor (DOL) for issuing guidance on paid leave--which was included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, March 29 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following joint statement with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, after President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the state in response to the coronavirus crisis: "The disaster declaration is an important first step in supporting Connecticut's communities and first responders that on the frontline of this fight. "The federal government has an obligation to ensure that our cities and towns recei  more

WASHINGTON, April 2 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * - Senators' Letter Comes After IRS Releases Guidance that Contradicts Provisions of the CARES Act that Explicitly Give Treasury Authority to Provide Direct Assistance to Social Security Beneficiaries who Do Not File Taxes * * * While the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that the president signed into law last week ensured that the Treasury Department had the autho  more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) released the following joint statement after President Donald Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Connecticut in response to the COVID-19 crisis: "The disaster declaration is an important first step in supporting Connecticut's communities and first responders that on the frontline of this fight. "The fed  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * - Their letter outlines five key steps to ensure background checks don't fall through the cracks, records are appropriately maintained, safe home storage emphasized * * * U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), led thirteen of their colleagues in calling for strengthening background checks amidst a massive increase in gun sales dur  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Friday, released the following statement after the confirmation of the first COVID-19 cases in Libya. In November, Senator Coons introduced the Libya Stabilization Act to clarify and strengthen U.S. policy in support of a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Libya. "Earlier this week, Libya confirmed its first case of COVID-19, an  more

NORWICH, Connecticut, March 31 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Congressmen Joe Courtney (CT-02) and John Larson (CT-01) announced that the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has completed its work on research and development of a map showing likely pyrrhotite occurrences across the United States. The map is a critical step towards understanding the true scope and reach of the crumbling foundations crisis, which has already impacted thousands of famili  more