In the News | Congressman Joe Courtney
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In the News

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August 6, 2018
Courtney hosted veterans representing several area organizations for a monthly veterans advisory board meeting at his district office in Norwich. In attendance at the meeting was the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Thomas J. Saadi, who addressed the group with updates from his department and responded to questions. Specifically, Courtney spoke about current issues that he said are important for Norwich area veterans, including declaring his strong opposition to a July 12 policy change from the Department of Defense that will prevent service members with greater than 16 years of service from transferring their Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits to eligible family members. “To scale back this benefit, it’s really blindsiding to people,” Courtney said.

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August 4, 2018

After a six-week cross-country motorcycle ride, Andover resident Gerry Wright has more than mileage to show for his effort.

Wright rode more than 10,000 miles throughout May and June to raise awareness of the diseases many veterans suffer from because of their exposure to Agent Orange during their service in the Vietnam War.


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August 3, 2018
The Navy’s newest submarine will make Groton its home after its Sept. 29 commissioning, which U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said is seven months earlier than originally planned. Electric Boat already won a contract to perform maintenance on the USS Indiana, a Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine, beginning in November. The work will correct any defects found during so-called "shakedown" testing before the submarine is deployed.

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July 28, 2018
The full-service center is one of only five of its kind in the state and will include various services and specialists for jobseekers — even a self-service center with computers, Internet service, research material and phones. For the employers who are trying to fill the increasing number of manufacturing jobs being created in this region and throughout the state, American Job Center East is a way to grow the state’s workforce. John Beauregard, the president and CEO of the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board (EWIB), points to the Eastern CT Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (MPI) as an example of why the American Job Center East model works.

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July 23, 2018

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, is among a group of bipartisan lawmakers criticizing the Trump administration for a proposal to cut funding for the Coast Guard to pay for border security.

On Friday, Courtney joined 15 members of the U.S. House in sending a letter to the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Homeland Security expressing opposition to cuts to the Coast Guard budget to offset increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations along the southern border.


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April 13, 2018

Washington – The U.S. Department of Education has come to the aid of hundreds of Ridley-Lowell Business & Technical Institute students whose education came to an abrupt end last week when the school shut down without warning.

Issues: Education

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March 5, 2018

GRISWOLD – Residents hell-bent on keeping their town quiet are making quite the noise.

They're an eclectic bunch – about 80 of whom are a part of the crusading Keep Griswold Quiet/Save Pachaug Forest. 

Electric Boat employees, professional artists, retired veterans, carpenters, students, veterinarians, casino employees, waiters, truck drivers, mathematicians, a pilot, holistic therapist and many more make up the group preparing for an opportunity this week to keep a controversial, state-proposed gun range out of their town.


February 20, 2018

As we enter the second year of the Trump administration, the president's inability to advance a firm, coherent U.S. position toward Russia persists despite a torrent of belligerent behavior by the Kremlin toward the West.


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February 8, 2018

By: Eric Bedner

The IRS has determined that homeowners who make repairs to their crumbling foundations within the next three years can amend their 2017 federal tax filings to deduct the cost.

Under the updated guidance from the IRS, which U.S. Reps. John B. Larson, 1st-District; Joseph D. Courtney, 2nd-District; and Rihard Neal of Massachusetts announced Wednesday, homeowners will have through the end of 2020 to make qualified repairs to their homes and until April 2021 to claim those repairs on amended 2017 federal tax return.


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January 4, 2018

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, is pushing the House to act on legislation that would restore access to VA benefits for Blue Water Navy veterans exposed to Agent Orange and other toxins during the Vietnam War.

Blue Water Navy veterans, those who served on ships in the territorial seas of Vietnam, are not eligible for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs related to Agent Orange or other herbicide exposure.

"The clock is ticking for these veterans," Courtney said by phone Wednesday.