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Dear Friend,
It’s been a packed week in Congress. I’m still down in Washington, working with my colleagues to pass critical national security legislation. Here with the latest news on that front and more from the week. Thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
Working to Pass Critical National Security Funding
Two months ago, the U.S. Senate, by a vote of 70-29, passed a comprehensive emergency foreign assistance package to provide assistance to our allies in Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, including humanitarian aid to Gaza and East Africa. This measure should have been taken up immediately in the House, however intraparty infighting in the majority caucus delayed such a vote.
Finally, this week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson brought the measure to the floor, and a bipartisan majority paved the way for its passage.
The bill will give Ukrainian forces the armaments to defend their nation against Russia's vicious, illegal invasion, supply Israel with missile defense to safeguard its citizens, surge over $9 billion in desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, Ukraine and East Africa, and help Taiwan fend off pressure and coercion from China.
As part of our efforts to rebalance the security environment in the Indo-Pacific, the aid package includes critical funding for the US submarine industrial base. This funding would increase the capacity of our shipyards and boost our fleet of attack submarines.
As of this Friday afternoon, a vote on final passage of this package is slated for tomorrow afternoon, where I expect a strong majority will move it off the House floor. The Senate must then follow suit and send it to the President’s desk – he has already stated that he will sign it into law. For the latest updates on final passage of the package follow me on social media.
Recognizing the College Basketball Capital of the World
Following the UConn Husky Men’s 2024 national championship victory earlier this month, I spoke on the House floor this week to recognize their great achievement of back-to-back titles.
The 2024 season marked the fifth time that both the Husky Men and the Husky Women reached the Final Four in their respective tournaments – no other school has accomplished that feat more than once!
With 11 national titles from the women and now 6 national titles from the men, there is no question that eastern Connecticut is the College Basketball Capital of the World.
Closing Gun Background Check Loopholes
For years, I’ve called for commonsense gun safety laws, namely expanding background checks on firearm sales and closing deadly loopholes.
The bipartisan gun safety bill which I helped pass in 2022 included the largest expansion in background checks in over 30 years. Last week, the President officially implemented this provision.
This will save lives. The rule expands background checks to tens of thousands of gun sales nationwide by requiring for-profit sellers to get a license – including at gun shows and sales through online ads.
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| Rep. Courtney on the House Floor in 2016 |
Back in 2016, I joined dozens of my colleagues led by Rep. John Larson and the late Rep. John Lewis for a 26-hour sit-in on the House Floor calling for background checks to be expanded and more commonsense gun reforms.
Protecting Americans from gun violence and upholding constitutional rights are not mutually exclusive. This new expansion in background checks reflects the will of over 90% of Americans, according to a 2022 Gallup poll. I’m glad to see it implemented after we acted in Congress and will continue working to save lives from the scourge of gun violence.
Update: Keeping the Virginia-Class Build-Rate Steady
This week, the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee held a hearing with U.S. Navy officials to discuss their Fiscal Year 2025 budget request to Congress – which included a misguided cut to Virginia-class submarine construction. This was one of the first steps in our subcommittee’s bipartisan process to meet the Navy’s needs through the National Defense Authorization Act.
Ensuring the 2-per-year build rate for Virginia-class submarines remains steady in the 2025 budget is paramount for my colleagues and I. Since I came to Congress, the 2-per-year build rate for Virginia-class submarines has brought stable growth to the submarine industrial base – allowing the Groton shipyard and Connecticut suppliers to invest in a skilled workforce and facilities all while ensuring our Navy has a strong fleet.
Like all industries, the industrial base felt the negative effects of the COVID pandemic, but now, momentum is surging. Electric Boat hired 5,300 new employees last year and retained 88% of its workforce. In 2024 EB will hire 5,200 more workers, and under a new labor contract negotiated by Metal Trades Council, starting wages are on the rise – increasing by 21.5% over the next five years. 
All of this together is yielding results for the Virginia program. In a 14-month window, four Virginia-class submarines are scheduled for delivery. Now is not the time to insert any uncertainty in the 2025 budget. On the Seapower Subcommittee, my colleagues and I will work in a bipartisan fashion to keep submarine build-rates steady and deliver for our Navy.
Defending American Steel Workers
Taking on unfair trade practices abroad protects American workers and strengthens our supply chain security – particularly in critical industries like shipbuilding. The Chinese government has undertaken anticompetitive practices like preferential loans from its state banks, subsidies for their industry, and more state financing to make the world dependent on Chinese shipyards at the expense of U.S. shipyards.
Steel production is the backbone of United States shipbuilding – for both commercial vessels that transport goods and U.S. Navy ships. American steel workers should not be forced to compete on the global market with artificially priced Chinese steel that produces higher carbon emissions.
This week, following a petition by the United Steelworkers, I led 37 of my colleagues in calling for the Biden administration to investigate China for unfair trade practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sector.
Shortly after our call for action, the President and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai opened an investigation into China’s unfair practices. I look forward to continuing dialogue with the Biden Administration on action we can take in Congress to keep the American steel industry resilient to China’s anti-competitive practices.
Reminder: 2020 Tax Refunds Available
Lastly this week, I want to share a reminder that almost 940,000 people nationwide have unclaimed tax refunds left on the table for the 2020 tax year.
The IRS has set a May 17, 2024 deadline for Americans to file 2020 returns and claim these refunds. The average median refund amount for the 2020 tax season is $932, and the IRS estimates that over $1 billion in total 2020 refunds remain unclaimed. 
The 2020 tax return filing deadline was pushed back by three years because of the COVID pandemic. If you may have forgotten about a refund, you can file your 2020 tax returns by May 17 and still receive it. Don’t miss out.
For any questions, call my Norwich office and ask to speak with my tax casework specialists.
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139. Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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