Media Center

“I voted yes to the Senate compromise today that modified the House bill that was sent over last week by establishing a firm timeline for negotiations on a bipartisan budget,” said Courtney. “Like any compromise, I would have preferred an even shorter continuing resolution with a firm deal on lifting budgetary spending caps. However, the deal hammered out by Senators McConnell and Schumer will provide a path forward for resolving this roadblock and other essential issues that have held up the 2018 budget process for an unacceptable length of time."

“Today’s announcement from Electric Boat that strong hiring is planned in 2018 and beyond is a continuation of great economic news for our region and the entire state,” said Courtney. “As the ranking member of the House Seapower subcommittee for the last three years during the period when Congress expanded submarine construction authority, I will continue to work closely with the Navy and Electric Boat leadership to build upon this success."

“In September, I supported a continuing resolution with assurances that we would work toward a bipartisan budget agreement before the end of 2017. Now here we are in January 2018 and it feels like Groundhog Day has come early as we vote once again on a stop-gap spending measure punting the issue into next month. Where does this end?”

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you Secretary Spencer and Admiral Richardson for your presence here today to update our subcommittees, and the American people, on the results of your reviews of last year’s Navy ship collisions. This is the fourth engagement we have held on topic which is of the highest urgency, given the unacceptable level of fatalities in a non-combat setting which occurred in 2017. For many members, even those who hail from districts far from the Western Pacific, these collisions strike close to home. In Connecticut, two outstanding Sailors – Electronics Technician 2nd Class Dustin Doyon of Suffield and Sonar Technician 2nd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh (pronounced “Nop - Troong - When”) of Watertown lost their lives. It is the duty of all of us to ensure that bold, systemic change happens to protect our sailors and ships from similar tragedies in the future.

“As the IRS confirmed in its letter, qualified taxpayers who paid to repair damage to their homes in 2017 or in prior open tax years will still able to deduct the cost of those repairs as a casualty loss on their 2017 returns. This is welcome confirmation for those homeowners who have already completed repair work on their homes and will soon begin to prepare their taxes,” said Courtney and Larson.