Media Center | Congressman Joe Courtney
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May 24, 2017
We are encouraged that the National Taxpayer Advocate has committed to working with our offices and the IRS to secure relief for Connecticut homeowners impacted by crumbling foundations through the tax code. We still have a lot of work to do, but having a key federal official publicly acknowledge the merits of casualty loss tax assistance for local homeowners is an encouraging development. Our offices remain committed to investigating every possible source of federal assistance that could be used to homeowners with crumbling foundations.

May 24, 2017
“The CBO analysis released today – 20 days after the GOP recklessly passed their healthcare bill – confirms that 23 million Americans will lose coverage and older, sicker Americans will pay more than they currently do under any scenario,” said Courtney. “This report should act as an emergency brake on the Senate, and stop this headlong rush to a healthcare catastrophe. Americans want the existing system fixed, not intentionally crippled.”
Issues:Health Care

May 24, 2017
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are joined today by three distinguished witnesses to discuss the fiscal year 2018 budget request for the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. Before we get into the substance of the hearing, I think it is important to remember the context in which we are considering the budget request submitted yesterday. In December of last year, the Navy under President Obama and Secretary Mabus released an updated Force Structure Assessment (FSA) that laid out a requirement for increasing the fleet from 308 ships to 355. Among other factors, the FSA noted that increased operations, lengthened deployments, and changing conditions around the globe necessitated the boost. Then, in the early days of the Trump Administration, the Navy submitted an accelerated fleet plan that, in the words of Acting Navy Secretary Sean Stackley, “offers a first step towards a framework to develop strategic guidance and identify the investments needed to reinvigorate our naval forces.” That plan identified 29 additional ships that the Navy found could be accelerated in support of the larger fleet identified in the FSA."

May 23, 2017
“While Donald Trump built his campaign message around standing up for middle class and working class families, the draft budget he released today clearly shows that he is intent on doing the opposite,” said Courtney. “The budget he proposed today would make unprecedented cuts to public education and after school programs, undermine higher education affordability, decimates USDA Rural Development funding that is vital for infrastructure improvements in eastern Connecticut, cuts job training funds which are helping to close the skills gap in manufacturing, and most appalling, eliminates thousands of medical research grants at the National Institute of Health aimed at curing a wide range of illness and disease. If the framework the President proposed today were ever to become law, it would deliver a devastating blow to our economy and working families across this country.

May 23, 2017
“The 2018 budget released today begs the question: where is the Navy build up?” said Courtney. “We have a new Force Structure Assessment calling for 355 ships released last year that was the result of a lengthy analysis on the future needs of the fleet conducted by the previous administration. We have an accelerated shipbuilding plan prepared by the Navy in the early days of the new administration that found that 29 ships could be added to the shipbuilding plan over the next few years beginning in 2018. And, just last week, the Chief of Naval Operations released a white paper underscoring the urgent need to get moving on the larger fleet."

May 19, 2017
“Ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea is critical for our national security,” said Courtney. “Given the increasing challenges we are seeing around the globe in excess maritime claims that threaten stability and commerce on the seas, the lack of US ratification of UNCLOS leaves us without a seat at the table when key decisions and rulings are made. I will continue to urge my colleagues in the Senate to ratify the convention and address our most obvious maritime double standard.”

May 18, 2017
"Since the cancellation of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle in 2011, the Navy and Marine Corps have wrestled with what the right distance is for the Marines to disembark the ship and what type of vehicle that should be in. This is not an easy debate and is one I am sure we will talk more about today. However, there is more to this than just what distance an amphibious ships should launch its vehicles from or what type of vehicles those should be. Our military is a joint force and will always operate that way in any contingency, so we need to be talking about how to fully integrate our amphibious forces and ensure they are leveraging the technologies that are other forces are relying on. "

May 17, 2017
“A college education is one of the most valuable investments a family can make but rising costs often make it difficult for students to attend without borrowing enormous amounts of debt,” said Courtney. “Compounding the issue for families is the fact that student loans often come with higher interest rates than mortgages, car loans, and other forms of consumer lending which can be refinanced. This bill will help ease the burden of student debt by finally allowing undergraduate borrowers to refinance their loans and take advantage of today’s new lower rates. Student debt hinders our economy because it delays or prevents borrowers from making other major investments including purchasing a home, starting a business, or simply saving for retirement. A college degree has become a critical part of securing a good-paying career and that is why keeping college affordable must be a top priority in Washington. I will continue to work to keep the dream of college within reach for Connecticut families.”

May 16, 2017
“It hard to imagine why the White House is considering slashing the funding for the primary agency leading anti-drug efforts in the midst of a nationwide drug abuse epidemic,” said Courtney. “I urge the president’s key advisors to meet with local law enforcement officials battling drug abuse on the front lines like I have done in the past to better understand how their departments utilize federal funding in the fight against prescription opioid and heroin abuse. Local police and health professionals on the front lines of this epidemic tell me that the primary reason we are losing the battle against opioids is lack of resources at every level. The bipartisan letter signed by more than sixty of my colleagues today from both parties demonstrates that the administration will face stiff opposition to any proposed funding cut for drug abuse prevention and treatment.”
Issues:Health Care

May 9, 2017
"The sudden and non-transparent firing of Director James Comey who is spearheading the investigation of Russian influence on 2016 election does not pass the smell test," said Courtney. "The 10-year term for an FBI directors was intentionally created to avoid this kind of rash turnover. President Trump's explanation that it was based on AG Sessions recommendation- a political appointee who barely survived confirmation in the Senate - does little to reassure the country and if anything raises more doubt about the motives of this stunning development."