Dear Friend, 

After a busy week in Congress, I’m back home in eastern Connecticut and here with an update on new support to help lower home energy costs, lowered premiums for seniors on Medicare Part B, and more from the week. As always, thanks for starting your weekend here with me.

An Update on Federal Funding for Connecticut Home Energy Assistance 

We moved an important effort across the finish line this week to help people lower their home heating and energy costs this winter. On Tuesday, it was announced that a new round of funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) would be included in this week’s stop-gap government funding bill (also called the “CR”). I worked in bipartisan fashion to lead the push for increased LIHEAP funding, and I’m glad to say it was passed as part of the CR this afternoon. The Senate passed the bill, too, so now it’s on its way to the White House for signature.

Today, the House passed a package to fund the government which included a new round of funding to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

In talking with families and seniors in eastern Connecticut, it was clear as we approach the coldest months of the year that LIHEAP needed to be refueled. LIHEAP helps people keep home energy costs low, it’s been expanded so that lots more people qualify, and we needed to make sure that resources were there when people need them to stay warm. Last week, I led a letter calling for increased LIHEAP funding in the CR. LIHEAP has already been helping lower those costs this year, and we know demand will remain high as it gets colder. Strengthening LIHEAP is the most direct way we can lower home energy costs, and we got it done on a bipartisan basis.

Earlier this month, Rep. Courtney visited Viking Fuel in Norwich to update people on LIHEAP support in the 22/23 winter season. He was joined by Viking Fuel owner Dave Spurgas, and Thames Valley Council on Community Action Executive Director Deb Monahan

The application window for LIHEAP assistance during the 22/23 season is now open. You can apply online here, or by contacting your local Community Action Agency. I keep in touch with local home heating oil providers and our three Community Action Agencies in eastern Connecticut—they do great work to keep folks warm during winter and connect seniors and families to available support. If you have questions about LIHEAP, you can also get in touch with my Norwich office at (860) 886-0139. 

Medicare Part B Savings Announced

We also got a great update for seniors this week with the announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that next year, Medicare Part B monthly premiums will decrease by 3% from 2022 levels. Part B premiums are deducted from monthly Social Security checks, and this is the first time in 11 years that the premium rate has been lowered. That’s going to mean more money in the pockets of seniors, and it’s a cost reduction I’ve been pressing for since January.

In 2022, seniors and people with disabilities saw a sharp 14% increase in their Part B premiums due to outdated drug price information for the new Alzheimer's drug “Aduhelm”. The drug was originally priced at $58,000 per patient – that’s the cost the 2022 premiums were calculated from. That price was later decreased to $26,000, and its scope of use was limited. With these two changes, it was clear Part B beneficiaries were being overcharged in their monthly premiums. The price hike couldn’t have come at a worse time for seniors, and I led the push in Congress calling on HHS to reverse it. Now, I’m glad to see them follow through and deliver these lower costs to seniors in 2023.

Click here to watch Rep. Courtney speak on the House Floor about the importance of the 3% decrease in Medicare Part B monthly premiums and other cost-savers for seniors coming in 2023

Fighting for lower, affordable drug prices has always been a top priority of mine. These lower Part B premiums are going to coincide with other new forms of lowered costs through bills like the Inflation Reduction Act. For example, starting next year under that bill, the monthly cost of insulin for seniors will be capped at $35—great news for the 5,800+ seniors in our region who receive insulin through Medicare. HHS will also be able to start negotiating for lower drug prices for Medicare Parts B and D for the first time ever starting in 2023, and drug companies will be prevented from raising prices on Medicare beneficiaries at a rate faster than inflation. With a sizable COLA adjustment expected soon, these reduced premiums will really add to the mosaic of cost savings that Congress has authorized for seniors and families moving forward.

Now that these savings are on the way for seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries, we need to keep working to expand them to all Americans. For now, for a full rundown of Inflation Reduction Act provisions, take a look at my Inflation Reduction Act: Lower Drug Costs one-pager.

Federal Dollars Continue the Growth of Our Workforce Development Programs

Our region’s manufacturing workforce is booming, and with so much new opportunity at hand and on the way through increased submarine construction, new infrastructure projects, and more, we’re seeing even more demand for skilled workers to fill all sorts of good-paying jobs. For nearly 7 years, our region has relied heavily on the Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board’s (EWIB) federally funded Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (MPI) to grow our workforce and meet all of these opportunities. My office helped kick-start the MPI in 2015 with its first-ever federal grant award of $6 million, and since then it’s gone on to place more than 2,700 graduates into great new manufacturing careers. With all this work opportunity coming down the pike, I’ve kept working to deliver increased federal funding to size-up the MPI so that even more people can get the skills they need to start new careers.

EWIB’s Manufacturing Pipeline is eastern CT’s premier skills training program. It’s set to grow so that it can offer training opportunities to more people, and 70% of its FY23 funding will come from federal sources.

According to new forecasts released by EWIB, the workforce investment board is expected to receive $30.9 million in total funding next year, and most of it is dedicated to expanding the MPI to train more workers in eastern CT and across our state. More than 70% percent of that total funding we voted to authorize in Congress through bills like the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and $15.3 million if it comes directly from the American Rescue Plan – which we passed in 2021 and continues to provide support to eastern CT. This funding will both build on the already successful elements of the MPI, and expand the program to new areas. Take a look at the details of where this funding is going:

• Launch a New Statewide Application Portal—EWIB will build a new skills training application portal based on already successful MPI principles, that can be utilized statewide 
• Expand MPI Skills Training Opportunities Beyond Eastern CT—EWIB will work to expand the footprint of the MPI program across the entire state 
• Expand Skills Training and Job Placement into New Industries—Funding will be used to implement MPI principles into 4 new industry sectors 
• Focus on Job Training for Youth, and for the Health Care Industry—EWIB was awarded funding through the American Rescue Plan’s Good Jobs Challenge, and will use this funding specifically to expand their Youth MPI program, which currently operates at several high schools throughout CT-02, and to expand skills training opportunities specifically for the health care sector 
• Help Provide Summer Jobs and Skills Training to Young People—EWIB will also use Rescue Plan funding to supplement its Summer Youth Employment efforts, particularly in New London and Norwich. 

The growth of our workforce isn’t happening in a vacuum. The MPI has been recognized nationwide for its success, and with so much new manufacturing work opportunity in our region, we need to be laser-focused on growing our skilled workforce and helping more people get the skills they need to start new careers. That’s what this federal funding is going to do. Read more here.

Updating the Eastern CT Chamber of Commerce on Some Big Legislative Victories

This week in Norwich, I provided a legislative update to the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut. We’ve secured some big wins in Congress over the past few months, and there’s a lot to catch up folks up on how these will benefit eastern Connecticut. We’ve recently passed the Honoring Our PACT Act and the CHIPS and Science Act with bipartisan support, and there was a lot of interest in the Inflation Reduction Act’s provisions to lower costs for health care plans and prescription drugs. I also gave the Chamber an update on the clean energy tax credits coming through the bill.

On Monday, Rep. Courtney attended and spoke at the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Business Luncheon to provide an update on recent legislation passed by Congress, including the Inflation Reduction Act

I know homeowners all over the Second District who are looking for ways to reduce costs by installing energy efficient, cost-cutting appliances to their homes – and they’ve been contacting my office to learn how they can save on these with the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits. Now, the Department of Energy has made it easier to find out how and when these tax credits can benefit a household like yours. Visit cleanenergy.gov to learn more about the tax credits and where they will support a household’s addition of new energy efficient appliances. From electric vehicles to solar panel installations and energy efficient clothes dryers the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits will save eastern Connecticut homeowners money and help our transition to clean energy. My office will continue to provide updates on them as they become available to homeowners. 

A New AFG Award for the Columbia Volunteer Fire Department 

Recently, fire departments across eastern Connecticut been awarded competitive Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFGs). I’m excited to share the Columbia Volunteer Fire Department has joined that list and been awarded over $136,000 that will allow them to purchase 18 new air packs – an essential tool that our firefighters need to protect themselves while carrying out their work keeping us safe. Read more here.

Last week, Rep. Courtney announced that the Columbia Volunteer Fire Department has been awarded a $136,000 federal assistance to firefighters grant, part of the $1.7 million in federal funding coming to fire departments across eastern Connecticut

These AFG awards are incredibly competitive—our local stations had to compete with firehouses across the country. They put together very strong applications and have welcomed home more than $1.7 million in new federal funding to help them do their jobs protecting our communities and keep themselves safe while serving. I’m glad my office and I could lend our support to the Columbia Volunteer Fire Department in their grant application process, along with the others across eastern Connecticut who have been awarded federal AFG funding this year. Catch up on the recent grant awards to departments in Groton and five other departments in the Second District.

Thanks as always for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to my Norwich office at (860) 886-0139. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Joe Courtney
Member of Congress

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