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“Australia is one of our closest allies on the global stage and a key strategic partner in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Courtney. “Today, we remember the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, a significant historical moment when U.S. and Australian Naval forces fought side by side to ensure allied victory in the Pacific. As I said to Ambassador Hockey earlier this year, I look forward to working with my colleagues on the caucus to strengthen the unshakable strategic, economic, and cultural bonds we share with the Australian people.”

“Just one month ago, Paul Ryan pulled the GOP healthcare bill minutes before a scheduled vote because support had collapsed in the face of vehement opposition from organizations such as the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association, the Lung Association, doctors and nurses,” said Courtney. “The groups denounced this bill after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found it would eliminate healthcare coverage for 24 million Americans. Today, Paul Ryan brought the bill back with changes to placate the most extreme elements of his party that in the words of the American Hospital Association will make ‘a bad bill even worse.’ The revised bill weakens protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and dismantles requirements that health insurance plans must cover maternity care, mental health services, addiction treatment, emergency room care, and bans on lifetime limits for coverage, just to name a few. The bill still raids the Medicare trust fund, rolls back Medicaid, and raises premiums on Americans over the age of 50. For those who frustrated with weaknesses in the existing law – this bill does nothing to address those and in fact greatly exacerbates them. I implore the Senate to scuttle this deeply flawed measure and give us the opportunity to enact real fixes to the healthcare system that Congress can consider on a bipartisan basis.”

“While this should have been completed last year, I am pleased that members from both sides of the aisle finally came together to pass a fair and bipartisan spending bill to close out the fiscal year,” said Courtney. “Our military leaders and industry have been clamoring for the budget certainty they need to move forward on a wide range of programs and priorities. This could have been finalized months ago, and it is my hope thebipartisan framework passed today can serve as a model for avoiding similar delays on the 2018 budget. As ranking member of the Seapower subcommittee, I am pleased that this measure reflects many of the priorities I have worked on including robust investment in our undersea forces. I am proud to have fought for key investments in programs important to Connecticut that will contribute to our state’s growing manufacturing resurgence and our nation’s security.”

“While this should have been finalized last year, I am pleased that members from both sides of the aisle finally came together to pass a fair and bipartisan spending bill to close out the fiscal year,” said Courtney. “The bill that passed today is good news for Connecticut’s defense industry and our economy as a whole. It contains funding for all of Connecticut’s top-defense manufacturing priorities, including $85 million in advanced procurement funding for Virginia-class submarines produced at Electric Boat. Additionally, despite the Trump administration’s directives to cut funding for domestic priorities such as the National Institutes of Health, Meals on Wheels, SeaGrant, and after school programs, Republicans joined with Democrats in rejecting those harmful cuts. There is little doubt that many of the domestic priorities that Americans rely on will come under attack again during future budget negations with the White House, but I hope the bipartisan framework passed in the House today can serve as a model as we begin to get a very late start on the 2018 budget.”

“The Coast Guard occupies a special place in eastern Connecticut and our region is proud to be the future home of the National Coast Guard Museum,” said Courtney. “With nationwide fundraising efforts already underway to design and build the new museum, I am committed to ensuring that Congress do all it can to support this worthy project. I commend Senator Murphy for playing the pivotal role in securing this funding through his work on the Senate Appropriations Committee. This is a huge boost to the national effort to create the long overdue museum, and sends a powerful signal that this effort has strong backing of the Congress, the federal government and the Coast Guard.”

“The trip was a great opportunity to learn more about naval facilities and partnering shipyards on the west coast and to meet the captain, officers, and crew aboard the USS Connecticut which is 1 of only 3 Seawolf-class submarines ever built,” said Courtney. “Being one of the only Seawolf submarines, the Connecticut has special features including faster speed, deeper diving ability, and greater firepower than any other attack submarine in our fleet. It had been a while since Connecticut’s namesake ship had a visitor from the state so I brought them a few special treats including Connecticut shaped chocolate bars from our own Munson's Chocolates, a pennant from the University of Connecticut, and a basketball signed by Geno Auriemma and the record-setting 2017 UConn women’s basketball team. It was great visiting with Commander Brian Taddiken of the USS Connecticut and his crewmembers, many of whom hail from Connecticut and have served at the Groton SUBASE."

“The vote to approve the final plan to redevelop the Norwich Hospital site is a strong affirmation of years of hard work by the Town of Preston,” said Courtney. “The collaboration to redevelop this site will provide an enormous boost not just for Preston but for the larger southeastern Connecticut region. First Selectman Bob Congdon deserves recognition for his steady leadership throughout this process and for getting the project to this point. The decision to collaborate with the Mohegan Tribe, whose roots in the area go back centuries, shows an enduring commitment to working with regional partners. I am also proud that my office was part of the team that obtained federal brownfields grant funding from the EPA in 2012 and 2014 to help pay for the environmental cleanup necessary to lay the groundwork for development at this site.”