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Dear Friend,
It's Joe Courtney.
We are on day 17 of the government shutdown. Incredibly, the Speaker of the House has closed the House for any business for 28 days, and just canceled session days for all of next week.
I was in Washington this past week, and will be there next week, ready to work. Here is my update on a doable pathway to end the impasse.
If you are being impacted by the federal government shutdown, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office for support and resources.
It has now been 28 days since Speaker Mike Johnson shut down the House of Representatives by cancelling previously scheduled “in-session” days during the government shutdown.
The old saying “90% of life is showing up” rings particularly true for Members of Congress during a government shutdown, when there is more and more fallout every day for families across the country.
I was in Washington this week, ready to work towards a compromise to re-open the government and prevent a health care cost hike. The White House and Congressional leaders must come to the table to negotiate. Refusal to even talk to each other is completely unacceptable.
This week, I was lucky to be joined at the Capitol by Heather Brauth from Salem, CT. Heather is a registered surgical nurse and a union leader at Backus Hospital in Norwich. She came to Washington to share the realities that frontline caregivers are facing in our health care system and how much worse health care cuts in President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will make an already dire situation.
As Heather made clear, the President’s health care cuts won’t just impact small segments of the country – we will all feel the impact when health services are stripped back to give a tax cut to the rich.
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| I had the honor to introduce Heather Brauth for her testimony at a House Steering and Policy Committee hearing on Wednesday. |
While leaders in Washington would rather score political points than work on a compromise to end this shutdown, the clock is ticking for the millions of Americans who are facing a health care cost hike.
If the White House and Congress fail to maintain Affordable Care Act tax credits in a funding bill, premiums for Americans who enroll in health plans through the exchange will go up by 200, 300, and even 400%. During my recent telephone town hall, Krsitine from Coventry shared that if Congress does not act, her health costs will go up to $37,200/year.
President Trump just gave Argentina $20 billion, and now, he has announced he is going to double that. All while the White House won't even negotiate over preventing this health care cost increase for working and middle-class Americans.
On Thursday, I joined Brian & Company on WTIC 1080 for a discussion about what’s at stake.
On Monday, we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States Navy. Eastern Connecticut has been steeped in Navy heritage since 1775. Today, we are the proud Submarine Capital of the World and the home of the Navy’s “first and finest submarine base”, Sub Base New London. To all Navy sailors current and former, thank you for serving with honor, courage, and commitment.
Then, on Wednesday, I had a great meeting with the new Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle, was has had a distinguished 40 year career as a submarine officer. Our meeting was charged with enthusiasm for Congress’s and the Navy's shared goals for the sea services. I look forward to continue supporting Admiral Caudle in supporting sailors, growing our undersea fleet, and strengthening global alliances. Our nation is lucky for such a motivated leader guiding the Navy forward.
As the Submarine Capital of the World, eastern Connecticut is at the center of making AUKUS a success. Today, I visited Groton-based manufacturer Hillery Company to catch-up with owner Joe de la Cruz on their new work to support AUKUS.
Hillery Company builds submarine trainers, basically the control room of a submarine, for the U.S. Navy to teach new sailors how to perform specific tasks throughout the boat. Now, under AUKUS, the small manufacturer is supplying submarine trainers to the Australian Navy for Australian submariners.
From the Groton shipyard, to sub school at the Groton submarine base, research partnerships at UConn, and small manufacturers like Hillery Company, eastern Connecticut is driving AUKUS forward.
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If my office can be of any assistance during the government shutdown, do not hesitate to call us at (860) 886-0139.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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