Rep. Courtney: Speaker Johnson Abandoned his Agreement at the Beck and Call of the President-elect and his Non-Elected “DOGE” Advisor Elon Musk
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued the following statement.
“In the period of less than 24 hours after Republican Speaker Mike Johnson released the bipartisan Continuing Resolution that would avoid a government shutdown and fund critical programs for CT farmers, shipbuilders, and Medicare patients, he abandoned his agreement at the beck and call of the President-elect and his non-elected “DOGE” advisor Elon Musk.
“The bipartisan Continuing Resolution we agreed to provided approximately $23 million in long overdue economic and disaster assistance for Connecticut’s farmers, expanded workforce training programs like Connecticut’s Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, and delivered sorely needed aid for Americans rebuilding from recent natural disasters. The bill also would have responded to the Biden Administration’s request to Congress of over $14 billion for the Virginia and Columbia class submarine programs and the industrial base, which is desperately needed to help the Navy and industry boost production cadence and grow the supply chain—requirements that are recognized by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
“Instead of adhering to this pro-worker, pro-farmer, and pro-Navy bipartisan deal that would keep our government open, Republicans are catering to out of touch billionaires. As a result, they are jeopardizing the pay of over 9,000 sailors and officers in Groton, Coast Guard Academy personnel in New London, and TSA agents and other federal employees ahead of Christmas.
“Speaker Johnson’s waffling has brought this country to the brink of a totally avoidable crisis that will cause real life harm to eastern Connecticut.”