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Dear Friend,
It’s Joe Courtney. After a busy week in Congress, I'm back home in eastern Connecticut. Here with an update on the latest news from the week.
First, I want to thank FBI agents and local police in Utah for their swift and professional work to apprehend the suspect in the horrific murder of political commentator Charlie Kirk. Political violence of this sort is reprehensible and a threat to our democratic way of life where were debate issues civilly and settle our difference at the ballot box, not with the barrel of a gun. I am praying for the family of Charlie Kirk during this heartbreaking time.
Celebrating Naval History at the CT Maritime Heritage Festival
Last Friday, I had the honor of celebrating the USS Normandy’s presence at the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival in New London. After 36 years in service, the Normandy is set for decommissioning later this month. The ship’s name is sacred – honoring the sacrifice of the over 7,500 GIs who were killed or wounded on D-Day 1944.
Current and former crewmembers from throughout the Normandy’s history joined the ceremony at Fort Trumbull, which marked the U.S. Navy’s return to the CT Maritime Heritage Festival after a several year hiatus.
It was a special day for the City of New London – a community which truly reveres Naval history – made even more special ahead of this year’s 250-year anniversary of the U.S. Navy.
Blocking a Measure to Further Delay Offshore Wind Projects
The Revolution Wind offshore wind energy project is still in limbo after the Trump Administration’s halt work order on August 22nd. Thousands of jobs and cheaper electricity for 350,000 homes hang in the balance, but the Trump Administration has still not provided any detailed justification for its halt work order. Completely unacceptable.
Thankfully, this week in the House of Representatives, we scored a win. A bipartisan coalition successfully blocked a measure that would have further delayed the Revolution Wind project by requiring the Department of Defense to re-review the project, which has already been extensively reviewed and vetted for national security.
Now, the Trump Administration must immediately lift its halt work order for the project. Time is of the enemy for the thousands of union jobs and the much-needed cheaper energy on the line.
Meeting with CT Community for Addiction Recovery
Thank you to the team at CT Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) for briefing me last Friday on their efforts to prevent overdoses in our region. CCAR has recovery community centers across our state – including in Windham and New London. They pioneered the lifesaving “recovery coaches” support model and have received federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services to support their efforts to prevent overdoses.
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Meeting with CT Community for Addiction Recovery, including team members Director of Recovery Coaching Kevin Shuler, Director of Recovery Advocacy Rebecca Allen, New London RCC Manager Shahinie Bringhurst, Emergecny Department Recovery Coach Gina Frazier, Emergency Department Recovery Coach David Santiago, and volunteers & community members Andrew Taylor, Ernest Mucke, James Matthewson, and Tiffany Moss.
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Unfortunately, the Trump Administration is cutting that support at the Department of Health and gutting Medicaid coverage for recovery treatment through the “Big Beautiful Bill”. These cuts will severely impact community efforts to prevent overdoses. Congress must reverse them.
A Totally Avoidable Increase to Health Care Costs
This week, the Connecticut Insurance Department announced that individual market rate health care insurance premiums will increase by an average of 16.8% in 2026. The chief culprits are the health care market instability caused by massive cuts in President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” and the bill’s failure to extend Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies beyond 2025. Health care is already way too expensive, and now, patients and families are facing a totally avoidable cost hike next year.
The obvious response to this news, which will be seen in other states across the county too, is for Congress to reverse the Big Beautiful Bill’s health care cuts, protecting patients’ Medicaid and Affordable Care Act health care coverage, and to pass the Health Care Affordability Act, making the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies permanent. Just undoing the harm caused by the Big Beautiful Bill is not enough. It’s past time for Congress to act to bring down the high health care costs that Americans have faced for years.
After Russian Drones Fly into Poland, Congress Rejects Effort to Cut Off Support for Ukraine
Last Sunday, Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of its brutal full-scale invasion. Then, on Tuesday night, 19 Russian and Belarusian drones flew into our NATO ally Poland’s airspace over the course of seven hours. NATO fighter jets were scrambled to defend civilians, and it was Ukraine’s air force that alerted Poland of the drone incursion.
Just hours after this unprecedented incursion by Russia on a NATO country, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene put forward an amendment to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act to cut off all military support for Ukraine – a move which would cripple not only Ukraine’s legal right to defend itself but also our NATO allies. I spoke on the House floor in strong opposition to this amendment, and then, a bipartisan coalition successfully voted it down. Congress showed continued bipartisan support for Ukraine and NATO in their defense against Russian aggression.
Meeting with Connecticut Farmers in Washington
I had a frank meeting this week with New England Farmers Union members Robert Chang of Echo Farm in Woodstock and Estela Kennen, Coordinator of the CT New Farmer Alliance. We discussed the dire straights that so many farming businesses are in right now.
Farm bankruptcies were up by 95% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to 2024. The Trump Administration’s huge cuts at the USDA is only making things worse – eliminating federal grant opportunities for small farms, ending programs that bring farmers’ locally grown food to our communities, and cutting the USDA staff that provide technical support to farmers.
Congress can fix this by reinvesting in USDA programs that help small farms stay in businesses and expanding markets for small farms. I'm a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Local Farmers Feeding Our Communities Act which would help distribution for farmers while getting fresh food to schools and people in need. The current system is failing our farmers. At a time when food prices continue to rise in the grocery store, we have to support the farming businesses that keep us fed.
Progress on the U.S. Coast Guard Museum
It’s exciting the see the progress of the U.S. Coast Guard Museum construction. I had a great visit last week with union carpenters who are passionate about this project’s goal to honor the Coast Guard. With the huge crane on site, I saw the first three decks of the museum structure now framed in steel, with the fourth deck rising up. The long-overdue museum to honor and celebrate the history of the U.S. Coast Guard will be a terrific addition to the downtown New London waterfront.
Thanks 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.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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