Press Releases

“This is a good day for the House and more importantly, for our veterans,” Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) said. “Blue water veterans have waited decades for action and fairness from the VA and from Congress. I am proud to have worked on a bipartisan basis to finally get this this important and long-overdue legislation passed in the House. I hope that the Senate will follow our lead and pass this bipartisan bill without delay so that our Blue Water veterans can finally receive the recognition and care they deserve.”

“In the wake of growing bipartisan calls for President Trump to end his Justice Department’s recently implemented policy of “zero tolerance” that results in separating families at the border, I am cosponsoring new legislation in the House of Representatives today called the Keep Families Together Act. This bill will prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from separating parents and children taken into custody within 100 miles of the border except for narrow cases involving abuse or neglect. It would also allow people seeking asylum in the United States to be given a fair hearing before subjecting them to criminal prosecution and tearing families apart.

“Clearly, the Air Force is making the right decision cancel the previously announced sole-source contract and hit restart on this process. Even with the understanding that the Air Force One mission brings with it unique requirements and challenges, a $24 million sole-source contract just didn’t pass the smell test,” said Courtney.

“Our military service members have a proven themselves to be dedicated public service and they are exactly the type of professional we need to be recruiting to educate our future generations,” said Courtney. “I am very pleased that Connecticut will be receiving a sizable grant from the federal government to help transitioning service members join the ranks of teachers in our state. I’ve worked on a bipartisan basis to make sure that more servicemembers looking to continue their service to our communities can do so by sharing their skills and experience in our classroom. I have no doubt that Connecticut will be well served by the new teachers we are able to recruit and train with this funding.”

“I am honored to be recognized as one of the inaugural recipients of this award presented by the American Academy of Family Physicians,” said Courtney. “Primary care and family medicine are the front lines of medical care in this country. The goal of the Primary Care Caucus is to improve outcomes for children and families through the triple aim of increased access, improved quality, and decreased cost."

“While this bill contains many important provisions for Connecticut, the addition of $1 billion above the budget request to set us on the path to building three submarines per year in 2022 and 2023 stands out as major development for our region and our nation,” said Courtney.

“Moments ago, I called on Sec. Betsy DeVos to account for misleading comments she made about East Hartford High School a year ago and her refusal to respond to Connecticut officials and students who politely challenged her facts. During her 2017 testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, Sec. DeVos stated that she had heard from a former student, who attended the school 17 years ago, that East Hartford High is ‘nothing more than adult daycare … a dangerous daycare.’"

“With the bipartisan vote in the Senate yesterday to restore net neutrality, now is the time for Republicans and Democrats in the House to come together to force a vote on this issue and that’s why I signed the petition from the floor today,” said Courtney.