WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Today, Rep. Courtney (D-CT) and Senator Welch (D-VT) introduced legislation to lower the cost of college for current and future borrowers. The Student Loan Interest Elimination Act would refinance the interest on federal student loans for all existing borrowers to zero percent and cap interest rates for future borrowers. Thanks to this fix, 43 million Americans with existing federally h  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, questioned Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei, Universite de Montreal Professor and one of the "godfathers of AI" Yoshua Bengio, and University of California, Berkley Professor Stuart Russell at yesterday's hearing titled, "Oversight of AI: Principles for Regulation."   more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release and letter on July 27, 2023: Today, U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) Chairman Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote Yasir al-Rumayyan, Governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), renewing a June 21 invitation to testify before the Subcommittee in connection with an inquiry into the planned agreement between PIF and the PGA Tour, and requesting information and documen  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and John Kennedy (R-LA) and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) introduced the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act, legislation strengthening the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) enforcement power against animal abusers. By bolstering the Animal Wel  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, July 29 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 28, 2023: Today, the Connecticut Congressional Delegation announced that the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP) will receive $3 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. The grant  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, July 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Members of Connecticut's congressional delegation announced that the state will receive $6.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Resilience grant program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will be used to help Connecticut meet its zero carbon electric sector goal, improve system reliability and resilience in a range of weather and storm condition  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Members of Connecticut's congressional delegation announced that the state will receive $6.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Resilience grant program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will be used to help Connecticut meet its zero carbon electric sector goal, improve system reliability and resilience in a range of weather and storm conditions, and attract,   more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, July 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: The Connecticut Congressional Delegation announced that the state will receive $6.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Resilience grant program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will be used to help Connecticut meet its zero-carbon electric sector goal, improve system reliability and resilience in a range of weather and storm cond  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: The Connecticut Congressional Delegation announced the state will receive $6.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Resilience grant program, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This funding will be used to help Connecticut meet its zero-carbon electric sector goal, improve system reliability and resilience in a range of weather and storm conditions, and attract, train  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, July 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023, and letters: Connecticut's congressional delegation called on President Biden and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to heed Governor Ned Lamont's call to take necessary action to declare a disaster in Connecticut and ensure the state's farmers can survive the significant financial loss from the severe flooding that occurred this month. A disaster declaration is the first step   more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 28, 2023, and letters: This week, the Connecticut Congressional Delegation amplified the call of Governor Ned Lamont, requesting President Biden and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack take necessary action to declare a disaster in Connecticut and ensure farmers in the state of Connecticut can survive the significant financial loss from the severe flooding that occurred this month. A disaster declaration   more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on July 27, 2023: * * * Today,U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Bill Pascrell (NJ-09) released a statement in response to Senate action on outbound investment legislation. "Finally, an outbound investment proposal has passed the Senate. We appreciate the work Senators Casey and Cornyn put into ensuring we got our foot in the door to holding foreign adversaries like China and Russia accounta  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: This week, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced the Raise the Wage Act. The legislation would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2028 and gi  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on July 26, 2023: * * * Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) released this statement following the UPS and the Teamsters union, who represent over 340,000 workers nationwide, coming to a tentative agreement to increase pay and improve working conditions: "Congratulations to both UPS and the Teamsters for their tireless work at the negotiating table that has made this agreement possible," said Larson. "Thou  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) co-sponsored new legislation led by House Democrats to further lower prescription drug prices for American families: the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act. This legislation builds on consumer price protections Democrats passed last year in the Inflation Reduction Act that empower Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs for seniors by making those l  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on July 26, 2023: * * * Today, House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (D-CT) released this statement after President Biden nominated Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland and Mayor of Baltimore, for Commissioner of Social Security. "I applaud President Biden for nominating a champion for Social Security, Martin O'Malley, to lead the Social Security Administ  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: Today, Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rep. Jim Himes (CT-04), and Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-01) reintroduced a bill to help prevent tragic student deaths and serious injuries on college campuses. The College Operational Reporting of Emergencies Involving Teens and Young Adults (COREY) Safety Act would amend the CLERY Act of 1990--which requires colleges and univ  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on July 25, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday released the following statement on the Biden administration's new rules to improve and strengthen mental health parity requirements: "Insurance companies are legally required to cover mental health and substance use disorders the same way they cover ph  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Thursday announced that he secured $824 million in new funding to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States, nearly all of the $1 billion he originally proposed in May. This additional funding will be used to improve detection and seizure of fentanyl at ports of entry, dismantle  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on July 24, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counter terrorism, on Monday released the following statement: "In the face of historic and unprecedented protests, I am deeply disappointed that Prime Minister Netanyahu's government was unwilling to broker a compromise and instead moved   more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on July 27, 2023: * * * U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday released a statement following Senate passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). "I don't agree with everything in this bill, but the Senate passed a serious piece of legislation to strengthen national security, counter China and Russia's global influence, and create good-paying jobs for Connecticut manufacturers.   more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced the inclusion of $40.839 million for Connecticut Congressionally Directed Spending projects in the Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations bill. Committee passage is the first step in the process, and funding will only be made  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced the inclusion of $5.725 million for Connecticut Congressionally Directed Spending projects in the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. In addition, the bill includes over $10 million in funding for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operation  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, July 28 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today applauded Senate passage of a resolution introduced by Murphy and Blumenthal honoring the late Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr, who died on June 28 after a long career in public service. "Lowell Weicker put his principles, his convictions, and his commitment to his constituents above every other polit  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- 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. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19) to introduce the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Data Integrity Act, a bill that would require the FBI to complete all gun-purchase background checks. Under current law, the FBI is unable to complete backg  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) reintroduced the bipartisan Ensuring Linguistic Excellence and Vocational Aptitude by Teaching English (ELEVATE) Act to ensure states receive the federal funding necessary to provide high-quality instruction to students learning English. The bill would allow students from Puerto Rico to   more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and U.S. Representative Lori Trahan (D-Mass.-03), a member of the U.S. House Committee for Energy and Commerce and a former college athlete, on Wednesday reintroduced legislation that would establish an unrestricted federal right for college athletes to market their Nam  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), both members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday introduced legislation to strengthen consumer protections and improve transparency for medical debt practices. The Strengthening Consumer Protections and Medical Debt Transparency Act would require health care entities to communicate with consume  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on July 26, 2023: * * * Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Co-Chair of the AUKUS Working Group and the Friends of Australia Caucus, issued the following statement after the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to advance legislation in support of the AUKUS security agreement. "In March, when the leaders of the U.S., U.K, and Australia met to announce the optimal pathway for the AUKUS security agreement, Pr  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on July 26, 2023: * * * Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, issued the following statement after MARAD announced the first nine ships enrolled in the Tanker Security Program (TSP) which was authorized by the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee under then-Chairman Courtney's leadership. "MARAD's announcement that the Tanker Security Pr  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following fact sheet: * * * The Student Loan Interest Elimination Act Eliminating Interest Rates The Student Loan Interest Elimination Act, led by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), would refinance the interest rate of all existing federal student loans to zero percent and cap interest rates for future borrowers. The interest rates for future student loan borrowers will be based on a sliding scale deter  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, issued the following commentary to the CT Post on July 27, 2023: * * * A Better Way to Think About China Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's trip to China is an opportunity for Congress to step up its game on more intelligently addressing the strategic problem of our generation: how to work with China on areas of deep common interest even as we challenge its dangerous and destabilizing behavior. Today's angry saber-rattling is insufficien  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, July 26 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release and letters: Connecticut's congressional delegation called on President Biden and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to heed Governor Ned Lamont's call to take necessary action to declare a disaster in Connecticut and ensure the state's farmers can survive the significant financial loss from the severe flooding that occurred this month. A disaster declaration is the first step in addressing the farm  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 (TNSres) -- Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, issued the following fact sheet on July 27, 2023, with Reps. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, and Cori Bush, D-Missouri: * * * The Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act BACKGROUND Housing is a fundamental human right. As a result of soaring housing costs, for the first time in over 20 years, the average tenant spends at least 30% of their income on housing./1 Additionally, eviction rates have soared as a result o  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Monday noted growing support for the National Strategy for Social Connection Act, legislation he introduced last week to combat America's epidemic of loneliness and promote social connection in our communities. The National Strategy for Social Connection Act would create an Office of Social Connection Policy within the White House to work acr  more