Dear Friend, 

It’s been a packed week in Congress, and I’m here with an update on my work with eastern Connecticut farmers, new data on Veterans care at the VA, and lots more. As always, thanks for starting your weekend here with me. 

Working with Young Farmers to Help Them Succeed in CT 

Farming is at the center of eastern Connecticut’s identity. It's part of our heritage, and I’m committed to ensuring current farmers and the next generation of food-producers have the support they need to be successful in the Second District. On Wednesday, I met with CT farmers Susan Mitchell, owner of Cloverleigh Farm in Columbia, Will O’Meara, owner of Hungry Reaper Farm in Morris, and Elizabeth Guerra, owner of SEAmarron Farmstead in Danbury. They’re all members of the National Young Farmers Coalition and visited Congress this week to advocate for legislation in the upcoming Farm Bill that can remove barriers young farmers face – specifically land access issues in a smaller state like Connecticut. Susan spoke about her own struggles finding space to operate her farm in our state. It's clear this is an issue we need to address to protect our state's farming future.

On Wednesday, Rep. Courtney met with Connecticut farmers (left to right) Will O'Meara (Owner, Hungry Reaper Farm in Morris), Elizabeth Guerra (Owner, SEAmarron Farmstead in Danbury), and Susan Mitchell (Owner, Cloverleigh Farm in Columbia), all members of the National Young Farmers Coalition

America needs a new generation of farmers now more than ever and efforts to support young people interested in agriculture careers can’t come soon enough. Our number of small farms is on the decline, and the average age of American farmers is rising. Experience in farming is key, but when the number of U.S. farmers over 65 outnumbers those under 35 by 6-to-1, that's a trend we need to reverse. Susan Mitchell is a great advocate for young farmers and in the last Congress, we worked together to introduce the bipartisan Young Farmer Success Act which would make full-time farmers eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Student loan debt is a massive burden to people getting started in the farming business, and PSLF would provide them with a path to having it alleviated. Farmers grow our food, steward our land, and create jobs in rural communities. That’s true public service. 

In the last Congress, Courtney and Mitchell worked together to introduce the Young Farmer Success Act – a bipartisan bill to make full-time farmers eligible for student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

We introduced the Young Farmer Success Act last July, and we're continuing our bipartisan work for young farmers in the 118th Congress. Click here to learn more about the bill. 

After they worked together to introduce the Young Farmer Success Act in July 2022, Rep. Courtney visited Susan Mitchell and her hard-working team at Cloverleigh Farm in Columbia

Making it Clear: Milk is Milk

In addition to hard-working vegetable farmers like Susan, northeastern Connecticut is lucky to host so many excellent dairy farms. My team and I keep in close touch with them and I’m always ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance legislation that will boost their business. On Wednesday, I joined a bipartisan group of colleagues to re-introduce the DAIRY PRIDE Act – a bill which would amend Food and Drug Administration guidelines to prevent plant-based milk alternatives from being labeled “milk”. Milk comes from cows, not plants. Connecticut dairy farmers know that, but oat, almond, soy, and other plant products continue to be wrongfully marketed as “milk”. The DAIRY PRIDE Act would prevent this and make it clear to consumers what product they’re purchasing.

On Wednesday, Rep. Courtney joined Reps. John Joyce M.D. (PA-13), Ann Kuster (NH-02), Angie Craig (MN-02), Mike Simpson (ID-02), and Derrick Van Orden (WI-03) to reintroduce the bipartisan DAIRY PRIDE Act.

I’m glad that in a time of so much division in our politics, commonsense legislation like this is often the product of good bipartisan work. I’ve partnered with my colleagues on both sides of aisle for years to support our dairy farmers, their families, and jobs in rural communities. The Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans makes it clear: dairy products are nutritious and a cornerstone of a healthy diet. Click here to learn more about the DAIRY PRIDE Act.

Rep. Courtney keeps in close touch with diary farmers in eastern Connecticut and has long worked in bipartisan fashion to provide them with the support they need from Congress. Above, Rep. Courtney visited Fairholm Farm in Woodstock, a nearly century-old family dairy farm that has been handed down for three generations. Erica Hermonot and her husband Jon are co-owners of Fairholm Farm along with Erica’s parents, Diane and Todd Morin.

Reminder: The PACT Act is Expanding Care and Benefits for our Veterans

Last August, Congress passed the long-overdue Honoring Our PACT Act – a comprehensive care reform bill that expands VA health care and benefits for nearly 3.5 million Veterans exposed to toxic substances while serving our nation. This is one of the largest expansions in VA benefits in history, and it’s going to provide multiple generations of Veterans – and their survivors – with the care they deserve. The VA has begun processing claims related to new “presumptive conditions” included in the PACT Act, and it’s now important that every Veteran and their family are aware of these new benefits. The Connecticut VA has received thousands of new PACT Act-related claims since we passed the bill, but we need to make sure every veteran in eastern CT knows about these new benefits—no veteran who has earned this care should miss out on it. Read more below.

Click here to learn more about the Honoring Our PACT Act

My Military and Veterans Representative Manuel Meneses (USN. Ret) and I have been at Veterans coffeehouses and other events around the Second District spreading the word about the PACT Act. One new presumptive condition that there is frequent interest in is Hypertension. It’s also the top PACT Act-related condition for claims approved at the VA. Now that the VA is processing claims for these presumptive conditions, I encourage any Veteran or their families who may have previously been denied benefits to re-submit their claim. You can learn more about the Honoring Our PACT Act here and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call my Norwich Office at (860) 886-0139 and ask to speak to Manny. 

Marching in the Norwich St. Patrick's Day Parade

March weekends in Connecticut towns are filled with joyous St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Last Sunday, I joined a big crowd in Norwich to march in the town’s annual parade. It was a beautiful day to catch up with residents, public servants, and the parade organizers, lead by Director of Planning and Neighborhood Services, and Norwich’s biggest booster Deanna Rhodes. We all marched together behind the Norwich Police and Fire contingent who received the thanks from residents who appreciate their steadfast service. 

On Sunday, Rep. Courtney joined families at the annual Norwich St. Patrick's Day Parade

Rep. Courtney was also joined by Councilman Swarnjit Singh, Parade Marshal, Director of Planning and Neighborhood Services, and Norwich's Biggest Booster Deanna Rhodes, Councilman Joe DeLucia, and State Representative Darrell Wilson with his two young nephews

I had a great time celebrating Irish culture and heritage with people in Norwich and I hope you enjoy St. Patrick's Day celebrations in your town throughout the month! Erin go Bragh, and may the road rise up to meet you!

Before a Major AUKUS Announcement, the President Releases a Budget Request with Huge Investments in Shipbuilding

Early next week, leaders of the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom are meeting in San Diego for a major announcement on the next steps of AUKUS – the security agreement between our three nations which was originally announced in September 2021. At the core of AUKUS is the goal of providing Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. While we’ll have to wait until Monday for the details of how that will be accomplished, it’s clear that eastern Connecticut shipbuilders will play a vital role in making AUKUS a success. Yesterday, as anticipation builds for the announcement, President Biden released his budget request for 2024. It continues historic investments we’ve been making into our submarine industrial base. 

Earlier this year, ABC Australia traveled to eastern CT to interview Rep. Courtney and local submarine suppliers about the AUKUS alliance, and the major role eastern Connecticut could play in making it a success. Watch here.

Annual budget requests from the President are just that, requests to Congress for funding that we will vote on in the Fiscal Year 2024 Omnibus. Last year, in his Fiscal Year 2023 budged request, the President requested and Congress later approved $751 million in bold new investments for workforce development, supply chain support, facility expansion, and other critical needs for our submarine industrial base. The budget summary released yesterday makes it clear that this effort will continue. When it comes to submarine production for the U.S. Navy and for AUKUS, highlights include investments to optimize Navy shipbuilding and modernization, to strengthen our supply chains, and to power our unmatched nuclear Navy. This is great news for our submarine shipbuilders and suppliers across the Second District. It’s critical as we move forward with the Virginia-class program, the Columbia-program, and our work to make the AUKUS a success. I look forward to working in bipartisan fashion with my colleagues on the House Seapower Subcommittee to deliver a FY24 National Defense Authorization Act that addresses the needs of our Submarine Industrial Base today and for decades to come. 

Thanks for taking some time to read my newsletter, 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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