Press Releases

As we look ahead to the difficult fiscal picture we face in the coming years, it is going to be more important than ever that we utilize every tool available to us to ensure that we build the fleet we need. This is no time for business as usual, and we must consider every option to provide the resources stability and support needed to make critical investments in our future fleet.

“Each day, more than 12,500 bulk milk trucks pick up milk at farms across the country and move it to over 2,000 processing plants. The transportation of milk is an issue that affects businesses and consumers in every region and in every state,” the representatives wrote. “We urge you to support language that was included in the House-passed version of H.R. 22, the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act, that would classify milk as a non-divisible load. This provision would allow states to issue special permits to bulk milk trucks, giving them more flexibility to ensure that milk is delivered in a timely manner and in compliance with federal and state food safety and security standards.”

“Americans want to know -- and deserve to know -- that their government is rigorously and thoroughly reviewing all refugee candidates to ensure no one is taking advantage of our nation’s generosity to commit violence here,” Courtney said. “The process in place today to screen any refugee seeking to enter the United States is already extensive, featuring more than a dozen layers of review by our security and intelligence agencies and additional screening for those arriving from Syria. The heightened awareness of the threat posed by ISIL gives Congress the opportunity to build on this effective screening process already in place to address the legitimate concerns that many in eastern Connecticut, and around the country, feel today. In my view, the measure I supported today will build on that process while ensuring that our nation continues to honor our values by welcoming those fleeing the terror inflicted on innocent people by ISIL."

“The new CSBA report released today underscores what we already see in the fleet today – continued high operating tempos and significant demands for Navy and Marine Corps presence are increasingly straining the fleet. And recent headlines – including the deployment of the USS Lassen to the South China Sea or the departure of the TRUMAN Strike Group for the Middle East for operations against ISIL – demonstrate that this demand will not decrease any time soon.”

“As you know, the residents of Willington and their local elected officials – whom I represent in Congress – have expressed a range of serious concerns about this plan and its impact on their community… It is my hope that your department will reconsider the potential use of existing firing ranges and training sites in Connecticut before moving forward on any efforts to conduct reviews for a new training center,” Courtney wrote.

"The completion of the merger between Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin is great news for Connecticut, and bodes well for a stable future for Sikorsky and its workforce. Lockheed is well-suited to guide Sikorsky—our nation's top helicopter maker—forward to build on Connecticut's legacy of innovation and excellence in aerospace. I am confident that under the leadership of Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky's workers will continue their stellar record of producing the highly advanced helicopter fleet our service members rely on," Courtney said.

“While completing the NDAA took a little more effort this year, I am proud to have played a key role in getting this important measure across the finish line. The agreement passed today is a strong statement of support for Connecticut’s submarine industrial base, anchored by the men and women of Electric Boat, as well as our aerospace industry. The revised NDAA maintains all of the priorities that are critical to our state, and invests wisely in long-term national security priorities, as well as in our military families. As the House Armed Services Committee continues to grapple with a difficult budget climate in the years ahead, I am pleased that the Congressional Budget Office has identified the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund as a mechanism to realize billions in savings as we move forward with the effort to recapitalize our SSBN fleet,” Courtney said.

"The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network weighing in to support repeal of the 'Cadillac tax' demonstrates that at the end of the day, this will be a reform that goes to the heart of the Affordable Care Act's admirable goals: expanding access to critical, lifesaving care. ACS CAN recognizes that the 'Cadillac tax,' if applied as directed through regulations, will raise barriers that would deprive patients of needed cancer screenings, diagnostic tests, and lifesaving treatment. We must repeal this onerous tax before it diminishes the progress we have made since enactment of the ACA," said Courtney.