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Congressman Joe Courtney

Representing the 2nd District of Connecticut

Media Center

Latest News

January 11, 2017 Press Release
“The F-35 joint strike fighter program received a major boost today when ten brand new jets were deployed to the U.S. Marines operating in Japan,” said the members. “The vertical take-off jets delivered today combine a unique set of technologies including stealth, highly specialized radar, and electronic warfare systems that are unrivaled by any other aircraft in the world. It has taken years of hard work by the aerospace industry and our military leaders to get this program on track and on a path of declining costs. The simple fact of the matter is that there is no other aircraft in production today that can compare with the F-35’s advanced avionics, networked capabilities and integrated stealth.”
January 10, 2017 Press Release
“Today’s action by OSHA sends a clear signal to the 15 million people working in the health care sector that the federal government is focused on providing a safe and secure workplace for them,” said Courtney. “We have known for some time that our health care workers face unique challenges and risks to their personal safety, and I urge the incoming administration to continue to press for stronger protections and safety standards for this sector.”
January 9, 2017 Press Release
“The sustained growth in hiring at Electric Boat is continuing to significantly boost the economy of our region and the entire state. As this morning’s presentation clearly showed, the pace of construction of Virginia-class submarines and the increasing work associated with the next critical phase in the Columbia-class program will continue the yard's strong hiring trend. This is not just good news for EB and southeastern Connecticut because work at the shipyard is supported by a state-wide network of nearly 500 small parts suppliers and precision manufacturing firms that are growing along with the company. Even more exciting, the Navy’s new force structure plan that calls for more submarines provides additional opportunity for growth in the years ahead."
January 6, 2017 Press Release
“Secretary Ray Mabus has made a profound impact on eastern Connecticut, on the shipbuilding industry, and the entire U.S. Navy during his distinguished term as the 75th Secretary of the Navy. Secretary Mabus is leaving us with a stronger, more inclusive, and more resilient Navy than when his term began. Among his lasting legacies will be the reversal of a steady decline in the fleet and shipbuilding. Under Secretary Mabus’s eight year term, the Navy doubled the number of ships under contract compared to the eight years prior to his arrival. This sharp increase in shipbuilding has arrested a decline in the fleet and put us on the path towards the larger Navy that we all know is critical for our national security. In addition, the new force structure assessment completed under his watch has laid the ground work for a more robust fleet in the future, and set the benchmark for the challenging work ahead."
January 5, 2017 Press Release
“Achieving this milestone is no small feat for a large program like this one - and it represents years of hard work by many people, especially the men and women of Electric Boat,” Courtney said. “For eastern Connecticut, today’s news underscores the positive outlook for hiring and growth across the submarine industrial base in our region. It is also, however, really just the beginning of the hard work ahead in designing and building this submarine within the already tight timeline we face. I know that the hardworking men and women in the Navy, in industry in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Virginia, and in countless machine shops across the country, are up to the task – and today’s decision is a vote of confidence in their efforts."
January 5, 2017 Press Release
“Achieving this milestone is no small feat for a large program like this one - and it represents years of hard work by many people, especially the men and women of Electric Boat,” Courtney said. “For eastern Connecticut, today’s news underscores the positive outlook for hiring and growth across the submarine industrial base in our region. It is also, however, really just the beginning of the hard work ahead in designing and building this submarine within the already tight timeline we face. I know that the hardworking men and women in the Navy, in industry in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Virginia, and in countless machine shops across the country, are up to the task – and today’s decision is a vote of confidence in their efforts."
January 3, 2017 Press Release
“This report documents the work done to date by the staff of the Department of Consumer Protection. As such, it accurately lays out the Commissioner’s efforts which have been laudable. Unfortunately, it totally begs the question of what needs to happen next to solve this problem, which will require the concerted effort of all levels of government. Today, local officials in 23 communities we know have impacted homes are taking the brunt of declining property assessments. This horrifying situation poses a grave threat to the housing market of a significant part of the state which will have a negative ripple effect across our state's economic recovery. My office received confirmation last August that federal resources can be applied to this problem through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Local leaders are hard at work trying to leverage these resources, which combined with help from other stakeholders, insurers, lenders and home builders can stop the escalating harm this report identifies. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the federal delegation, area legislators and local officials to flush opportunities like these out further."
January 3, 2017 Press Release
“The GOP majority in the opening minutes of the new Congress, voted behind closed doors to eviscerate the independence of the Office of Congressional Ethics - a grotesque move that turns the clock backwards in the effort to clean up Washington,” said Courtney and Larson. “As members who have served on the House Ethics Committee, which reviews complaints referred by the Office of Congressional Ethics, we both vehemently oppose this change which was unveiled in the middle of the night yesterday with absolutely no input from the minority party, or more importantly, the public. Rather than ‘draining the swamp’, their midnight rule will bloat the swamp by removing an independent avenue for complaints against House members from being heard. This is a step backward for governmental transparency and ethics.”
December 23, 2016 Press Release
"Any suggestion that there is a substitute for the F-35 is total non-starter. This is a program that has been vetted ad nauseum by the Pentagon, the Congress and independent experts. There is simply no aircraft in production today that can compare with the F-35’s advanced avionics, networked capabilities and integrated stealth," said the members.
December 16, 2016 Press Release
"The FRA's report released today continues to ignore strong and consistent concerns expressed by the State of Connecticut and local citizens about the eastern shoreline realignment plans... we will continue to do all we can to remove this bypass from the final FRA plan in order to provide our communities with the certainty they deserve. Should the FRA continue in its pursuit of its proposed alignment, we will work to ensure that Connecticut exercises every tool at its disposal at the state and federal levels to stop any effort to move forward with this misguided plan."

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In The News

June 4, 2016 In The News
When Justice Croutch graduated from Tolland High School five years ago, her future looked bright. With dazzling green eyes and a smile that lit up a room, she enrolled in a dental hygienist program, earning a 4.0-grade point average in her first year. Now 22, Justice is in a vegetative state in a New Hampshire nursing home, needing a machine to breathe and unable to recognize her family or friends.
Issues:
April 18, 2016 In The News
For the first time in a generation, Electric Boat is hiring thousands of workers as military strategy again turns to submarines to project U.S. sea power. As many as 850 high-skilled, well-paid manufacturing and other jobs are being filled this year and nearly 4,000 in the next 15 years, establishing a workforce of 18,000 at the submarine manufacturer's sites in Groton and Quonset Point, R.I.
March 29, 2016 In The News
The Navy announced on Monday that EB would be the prime contractor for the estimated $95 billion Ohio-class replacement program. Plans call for 12 of these next-generation ballistic missile submarines to replace the aging fleet of "boomers" built in the 1980s and 1990s. EB will design and deliver all 12 boats.
February 23, 2016 In The News
Last week, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, called for congressional action to help so-called blue water Navy veterans — those who served in territorial waters overseas during the Vietnam War, and who may suffer illnesses linked to exposure to Agent Orange.
January 26, 2016 In The News
Electric Boat will add more than 800 new jobs in Connecticut this year thanks to robust military spending on the U.S. submarine program, the manufacturer said Monday.
January 19, 2016 In The News
Dairy farmers have reason to be happy after a change in federal law that lets states issue weight exemptions for dairy trucks, allowing them to haul milk at full capacity.
Issues:
January 14, 2016 In The News
U.S. Representative Joe Courtney says he’s joining the fight to prevent a new State Police gun range from being set up in Willington.
January 12, 2016 In The News
The final plan for how dredge material is handled in Long Island Sound supports continued use of the four existing disposal sites.
January 12, 2016 In The News
Among the guests sitting in the House chamber balcony for President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address will be a Connecticut Muslim doctor whose mosque was shot at the night of the Nov. 13 Paris terror attacks.
January 9, 2016 In The News
Groton — Last year, 33 firefighters with the Naval Submarine Base's fire department spent more time at work than they did at home — a result of vacancies that went unfilled almost all year.

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