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Dear Friend,
It’s Joe Courtney. After a busy week in Congress, I’m back home in eastern Connecticut. Here to share an update on the continued fight to lower health care costs, new support for Medal of Honor recipients, and more from the week. As always, thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
Nurses Make Their Voices Heard After An Insulting Legal Demotion
We are in the midst of a severe nationwide nursing shortage. Despite this blindingly obvious reality, the Trump Administration recently gave nurses a legal demotion by classifying graduate level nursing degrees as “non-professional” under a proposed rule. This will suffocate the growth of our nation’s caring profession, and this week, I spoke on the House floor to call it out for the disgraceful insult that it is.
The Department of Education’s proposal not to classify nursing as a professional graduate level degree is another harmful impact of cuts made by the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” to pay for huge tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. With this proposed rule, which is expected to take effect in July 2026, graduate level nursing students will have their available federal student loans capped at $100,000 – which is half of the loans available to students in “professional degree” programs.
Nursing is not the only profession that was excluded as a “professional degree” by the Trump Administration. Physician assistants, physical therapists, audiologists, speech language pathologist, architects, accountants, advanced degree educators, social workers, dental hygienists, and occupational therapists were also excluded from the "professional" classification. This is madness.
The American Nurses Association’s petition to overturn this rule has over 200,000 signatures, and I’m calling on my colleagues to speak out in opposition to this proposal. But we should do more than just support the regulatory process to reserve this ludicrous rule. We should listen to the warnings from health care professionals and reserve the cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill” before they take effect and increase health care costs and hurt the already severely strained health care workforce.
Major New Support for Medal of Honor Recipients
Good news. This week, a law passed by Congress to provide increased pension benefits of Medal of Honor recipients officially took effect. Currently, the special Medal of Honor pension is set at $1,406.73 per month. Under the Medal of Honor Act, a bipartisan bill which the House unanimously passed earlier this year, the Medal of Honor pension will be increased to $100,000 annually. This increase recognizes the rising cost of living and the far-reaching public obligations for the 63 living Medal of Honor recipients.
I strongly supported passage of this bill. It’s exactly the type of bipartisan measure that has is strong, cross-party support for Congress. Leaders should put more bipartisan bills to support our nations veterans up for votes.
2025 in Review: Delivering Results for Veterans
Helping eastern Connecticut veterans secure earned benefits from the VA is one of the most impactful casework services that my office provides. In 2025, we worked with veterans in Connecticut’s Second District on 144 cases involving VA benefits and successfully returned $207,348 in earned benefits to constituents.
In one case, a New London County veteran was left with huge medal bills due to an administrative error at the VA. My office successfully worked with the West Haven VA to have his bills paid through community care benefits. For assistance working with the VA, call my Norwich office at (860) 886-0139.
The Continued Fight to Lower Health Care Costs
Health care costs are exploding for millions of Americans this month because leaders in Washington have failed to maintain Affordable Care Act tax credits. My office continues to hear from eastern Connecticut residents whose premiums for Access Health CT plans are increasing by thousands of dollars per month. That’s not just unaffordable. It’s impossible.
This week, in a Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions subcommittee hearing, I highlighted the story of Jill from Niantic, whose premium is increasing by $1,000/month due to the expiration of the tax credits.
I’m continuing to fight to lower these costs. Last month, I joined a discharge petition which would force the House of Representatives to vote on a bill to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years. The discharge petition currently has 214 signatures and needs 218 to force a vote. 74% of Americans support extending the tax credits, according to a survey by KFF. That’s clear bipartisan support, which demands a vote on the measure.
Instead of extending the existing tax credits, allowing people to stay on their current plans, and recommitting to long-term solutions to bring down health care costs for good, leaders in Washington are now floating the idea of short-term health plans which do not provide adequate coverage when people need it. That is not a real solution.
Leaders made a promise to the American people to lower costs. They must follow through.
Growing Connecticut Manufacturing
Eastern Connecticut manufacturing is driving the industry forward – and it’s not only happening at the Groton shipyard. Small business manufacturers across Connecticut’s Second District are growing and taking on critical work for the defense industrial base.
The federally funded APEX Accelerator program provides support to small manufacturing businesses seeking federal contracts, particularly in defense aerospace and shipbuilding. Over the years, as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have advocated for the APEX program and worked with eastern Connecticut firms to take advantage of their assistance. It was an honor today to receive an honorary award from the national APEX alliance. CT APEX President Marisol Herrera came to the Montville Town Hall to make the presentation and we caught up on their exciting plans to partner with Electric Boat to expand small business submarine suppliers.
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If my office can be of any assistance, do not hesitate to call us at (860) 886-0139.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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