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Dear Friend,
After a busy week, I’m back home in eastern Connecticut. Here with an update on meetings with U.S. Navy and global leaders, improving the safety net for small farmers, and more.
As always, thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
The 80th Anniversary of the D-Day
The 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion was solemnly observed by the civilized world on June 6th, both in Normandy and gatherings all across the globe. The international coalition, under the command of five-star General Dwight D. Eisenhower, stormed the beaches of Normandy which was the beginning of the end of Hitler’s vicious Nazi regime. It came at a terrible cost of allied lives, and it is important for all Americans to honor their sacrifice by reaffirming our commitment to the cause of freedom and democracy they fought and died for.
Eastern Connecticut soldiers and sailors contributed to the effort to liberate Europe from Nazi rule. Mr. Niel Spillane of Groton was a U.S. Army soldier who landed on Utah Beach shortly after the D-Day invasion and earned the Bronze Star for his bravery in heavy combat as U.S. forces fought through France into Germany. This past March he celebrated his 100th birthday and is still actively engaged in the veterans community, sharing his experience and perspective on that historic effort.
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| Rep. Courtney and WWII Army veteran Mr. Niel Spillane (left) in February 2024 welcoming Australian submariners to Groton |
Meeting with U.S. Navy and Global Leaders
Last week, I traveled across the globe with a bipartisan Congressional delegation to join the 21st annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The event was an opportunity to meet with U.S. and Indo-Pacific leaders from the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, and Indonesia to discuss our common goals to peacefully protect democracy and the international rule of law.
I had the chance to catch up with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles on the rapid implementation of AUKUS after we passed key bills for the security agreement in Congress last December.
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| From Left to Right: Rep. Joe Wilson, Rep. Young Kim, Rep. Michael McCaul, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Paparo, Rep. Gregory Meeks, and Rep. Joe Courtney |
My colleagues and I also received a spirited brief from Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Adm. Paparo shared how critical the submarine fleet in the Indo-Pacific is to keeping the peace. He emphasized the need to maintain vigorous, robust Congressional support for construction of Virginia-class submarines and U.S. shipbuilding across the board.
Admiral Paparo's father worked at the Philadelphia shipyard and he has a special appreciation for the skills and efforts of America's shipbuilders.
The Shangri-La dialogue came on the heels of China’s extremely aggressive military exercise surrounding Taiwan, reaffirming the critical need for the United States and its allies and partners to come together to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific through security agreements like AUKUS.
The delegation and I also had an unexpected meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who flew in on Saturday evening for a surprise visit. He shared with us that the security assistance Congress approved for Ukraine is making a major difference in the country’s ability to forcefully push back against Putin’s illegal invasion.
This week, Ukraine announced it has sunk one-third of Russia’s Black Sea fleet which has been blockading grain shipments to the world markets– a major triumph from a country with no Navy.
Improving the Safety Net for Small Farmers
Earlier this year, I met with farmers from across eastern Connecticut alongside CT Commissioner of Agriculture Bryan Hurlburt. We heard about the importance of crop insurance and safety nets to farmers’ livelihoods and operations, especially after facing damaging weather events over the past several years.
Unfortunately, federal farm safety net programs are often burdensome or completely inaccessible to our farmers. In Connecticut, only 5% of farms are enrolled in crop insurance, compared to 19% of farms nationally.
This week, I teamed up with my House colleagues in the Connecticut Congressional delegation to introduce the Save Our Small (SOS) Farms Act, a bill which would allow small farms to protect their business by improving access to crop insurance policies that are often limited to large, commercial farms.
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| The SOS Farms Act would expand the number of farms eligible to purchase crop insurance, lower the cost of coverage for small farmers, and direct the USDA to develop more responsive coverage options for farmers during extreme weather. |
Farms without crop insurance are forced to rely on disaster relief assistance and incur massive losses during extreme weather or other events that damage their crops. These losses disproportionately impact small farms that currently struggle to qualify for crop insurance.
Last year, farms throughout our state and the region were impacted by unprecedented flooding resulting in devastating crop losses. Limitations of current farm safety net programs and barriers to crop insurance eligibility requirements left many Connecticut farms unable to receive comprehensive federal assistance.
I am hopeful the SOS Farms Act receives bipartisan attention from leadership in both the House and Senate as the Congress works to craft the 2024 Farm Bill.
Mid-Year Survey: What Should Congress Focus on for the Rest of 2024?
As we cross over the mid-way mark for 2024, there is still a lot left on Congress’s plate. I want to hear your thoughts. What should Congress focus on?
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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