Economy & Jobs

“Connecticut Sea Grant is a critical federal program that has aided local fishermen, shellfish farmers, and maritime conservation efforts in Long Island Sound for fifty years,” said Courtney. “Whether it’s jumpstarting a fishery or connecting aquaculture producers to local communities, Sea Grant is a vital part of eastern Connecticut’s maritime economy. I am very glad that House Appropriations Committee recognized how important Sea Grant is for aquaculture efforts across the country and reversed the president’s misguided attempt to eliminate the program.”

“While Donald Trump built his campaign message around standing up for middle class and working class families, the draft budget he released today clearly shows that he is intent on doing the opposite,” said Courtney. “The budget he proposed today would make unprecedented cuts to public education and after school programs, undermine higher education affordability, decimates USDA Rural Development funding that is vital for infrastructure improvements in eastern Connecticut, cuts job training funds which are helping to close the skills gap in manufacturing, and most appalling, eliminates thousands of medical research grants at the National Institute of Health aimed at curing a wide range of illness and disease. If the framework the President proposed today were ever to become law, it would deliver a devastating blow to our economy and working families across this country.

“While this should have been finalized last year, I am pleased that members from both sides of the aisle finally came together to pass a fair and bipartisan spending bill to close out the fiscal year,” said Courtney. “The bill that passed today is good news for Connecticut’s defense industry and our economy as a whole. It contains funding for all of Connecticut’s top-defense manufacturing priorities, including $85 million in advanced procurement funding for Virginia-class submarines produced at Electric Boat. Additionally, despite the Trump administration’s directives to cut funding for domestic priorities such as the National Institutes of Health, Meals on Wheels, SeaGrant, and after school programs, Republicans joined with Democrats in rejecting those harmful cuts. There is little doubt that many of the domestic priorities that Americans rely on will come under attack again during future budget negations with the White House, but I hope the bipartisan framework passed in the House today can serve as a model as we begin to get a very late start on the 2018 budget.”

“Today is the seven-year anniversary of the devastating 2010 Kleen Energy Plant explosion in Middletown, Connecticut that cost six workers their lives, including my friend Ron Crabb, and injured dozens more.” said Courtney. “As the 2010 incident in Middletown and the catastrophic explosion in 2013 at the West Fertilizer plant in Texas demonstrate, the benefits of ensuring a safe and healthy workplace are not just confined to the facility’s property - local communities also have a major stake in the safety of these workplaces. Since OSHA was first created, great strides have been made in protecting American workers, but too many workers are injured, falling ill, or even killed when working in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. We need to make sure OSHA can continue its vital mission to protect America’s workers so that moms and dads across this country will safely return home to their families after a hard day’s work.”