Press Releases

Rep. Courtney joined Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21), David Young (R-IA-03), and Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01) in introducing the Community Health Investment, Modernization and Excellence (CHIME) Act of 2017 – bipartisan legislation to extend the Community Health Centers Fund (CHCF) for five years, with modest increases to ensure responsiveness to demand for care and national priority areas.

Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy David Kautter at the Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, D.C. to discuss assistance for north-central Connecticut residents impacted by crumbling concrete foundation.

"Thank you Mr. Chairman. And thank you to Admiral Moran, Rear Admiral Boxall, and Mr. Pendleton for your testimony today. I would also like to recognize Ms. Rachel Eckels, mother of the late Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Eckels Jr. who perished onboard the USS John S. McCain, for joining us today. The circumstances that bring us to today’s hearing are painful and tragic. As Admiral Moran pointed out in his order to the Navy’s Fleet Forces Command dated August 24, 2017, in the span of 65 days, 17 sailors were lost in ship collisions and accidents on naval vessels. These were not, as he pointed out, “limited occurrences” but part of a disturbing trend of mishaps in the Asia Pacific Region that since January involved the USS Antietam (CG 54), USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), USS Fitzgerald, and the USS John S. McCain. To put that in perspective, these heartbreaking casualties are more than the number of service members we have lost in the Afghanistan war zone in 2017."

“As members of the Connecticut federal delegation, we are writing in reference to a news story in The Day on Saturday, September 2, 2017, which detailed disturbing allegations from minority cadets alleging that an atmosphere of racial hostility exists on campus,” wrote the members. “As strong supporters of the Academy and its historic role of producing the Coast Guard’s leadership, we are sure you agree that a meaningful, transparent response is required to further advance the institution’s mission. We recognize that the Academy has been engaged in a concerted effort to boost minority enrollment over the last eight years and has shown significant progress in the numbers at the time of matriculation. Higher admission rates have to be coupled with robust retention in order to ensure a higher graduation rate for minority cadets so that Coast Guard leadership ultimately reflects the multicultural makeup of the country’s population. Ensuring that the Academy’s environment and culture are free of any racial animus is critical to achieving such an outcome.”

“President Trump’s move to rescind DACA is a misguided attempt at punishing children for the actions of their parents,” said Courtney. “The president’s decision to remove temporary protection for DREAMers will lead to the indiscriminate deportation of some of the brightest and most talented students in our country. The vast majority of the people covered by DACA have lived in the United States since they were in grade school and have earned their place in this country the same way as any other American. As an original cosponsor of the American Hope Act that will codify DACA and protect these young people, I will work to reverse this harmful decision by the president.

"If President Trump decides to revoke DACA it would punish children for the actions of their parents. Not only is that fundamentally unfair, it will indiscriminately deport some of the brightest most talented students in our country. At Eastern Connecticut State University in Windham, I met a few days ago with staff who reported that there are 93 DREAMers enrolled there with many of them pursuing STEM majors and averaging 3.55 GPAs. Our nation's employers are telling Washington in the strongest terms possible, we need those kinds of students in America's workforce, not in handcuffs. As an original cosponsor of the HOPE Act which will codify DACA and thus protect these young people, I will work to stop any harmful rush to judgment by the president."

“This grant funding is great news for the New London Fire Department,” said Courtney. “Not only does the New London Fire Department oversee one of the most densely populated municipalities in eastern Connecticut, it also supports the operations of departments in other local communities across our region through mutual-aid. They are also responsible for protecting a large stock of older homes and buildings that necessitate a larger and better-equipped force than departments serving other communities. I commend Mayor Michael Passero and Fire Chief Henry Kydd, Jr. for working closely with my office during the grant application process. Their support was critical in helping to secure this award.”

“We have long agreed with the goal of the EPA throughout the DMMP process to balance environmental stewardship with standard economic activity in Long Island Sound,” wrote the members. “Our states have been responsibly dredging using open-water placement for 35 years, and we believe maintaining the EPA designation of the ELDS, along with an increased effort among the states to find sustainable on-land solutions for dredged materials, will continue to provide the Long Island Sound region with a balanced approach for future waterway projects."