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The shortfalls we will face are largely the result of decisions made in previous decades which we cannot undo in a single year. What we can do, is continue to work in a bipartisan way to address our current and future shipbuilding needs going forward. I am proud that this panel has a record of doing so, and I look forward to sustaining that record. Your input is vital as we prepare to mark up the 2017 defense authorization bill and continue to build the fleet we need for the future.

The shortfalls we will face are largely the result of decisions made in previous decades which we cannot undo in a single year. What we can do, is continue to work in a bipartisan way to address our current and future shipbuilding needs going forward. I am proud that this panel has a record of doing so, and I look forward to sustaining that record. Your input is vital as we prepare to mark up the 2017 defense authorization bill and continue to build the fleet we need for the future.

“We need to do everything we can to support our small farmers and local agriculture,” said Congressman Courtney. “It is unfair that dairy farmers across the Northeast, including in Connecticut, are forced to calculate their feed costs based on averages that are heavily weighted toward Midwest farming operations. The system established under the recent Farm Bill puts farming operations in our region at a competitive disadvantage, and our farmers have asked that we take action to level the playing field. I would like to thank Reps. Gibson and Welch for their support on this issue, and we intend to keep fighting until we get this change passed.”

The plan released today leverages the deep talent and unmatched skills of the hard-working shipbuilders at Electric Boat, and their partners in Newport News, Virginia. The replacement of our sea-based strategic deterrent is a pressing and multigenerational commitment to our nation’s defense. With the talent of our industrial base, we have risen to this challenge in the past, and by applying the same successful approach of the team delivering the Virginia class submarines today, I am confident that we will do so again.

Dick was the iconic small town First Selectman who did everything from running town meetings, to plowing snow, to cleaning up storm damage with public works, as well as crowd control at the Deep River Muster, and attending every community event in town. Deep River is one of Connecticut's jewels because it had a leader like Dick, who was always there to help those in need and help the town grow smartly. Dick was a friend whose support I will always remember and treasure, and he should live on as an example of a citizen-public servant to all who hold elected office.