Delegation joins in passing defense bill with billions for Connecticut

Every member of the Connecticut delegation to the House of Representatives voted for a new defense authorization bill that would allow Congress to steer billions of dollars to defense contractors in the state, which will benefit from a increases in the weapons systems they make and the start of new ones, like the replacement for the Ohio-class nuclear subs. President Obama vetoed the previous defense authorization bill over a funding dispute, but a bipartisan deal on a budget took eliminated took that dispute off the table. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week.

Washington logoBlumenthal attacks potential rival Kudlow over actual candidate Wolf

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who has raised more than $4 million for his re-election bid, continued to blast CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow in his fundraising appeals. Kudlow has not made up his mind to enter the race yet. Another Republican, August Wolf, has entered the race, but not received as much attention from the Blumenthal campaign as Kudlow.

China provides last approval for Lockheed’s Sikorsky purchase

China’s defense ministry approved the sale of Sikorsky to Lockheed Martin this week, paving the way for the deal to be finalized Friday. The companies needed approval from the European Union, China and all other countries where either firm does business, as well as approval from the Pentagon, which they received in September. But the Pentagon’s procurement chief has voiced concerns that the Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky deal will lead to too much consolidation in the defense industry.

Text of Trans-Pacific trade deal released; DeLauro slams it

The Obama administration released the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership this week, which Connecticut Democrats, especially U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, were anxious to read. They are wary of the trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries. The agreement runs to more than 1,000 pages, but DeLauro had a swift reaction to the release. “After seven years of secret negotiations, this massive deal appears to be even worse for the American public than we had feared,” she said.

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Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

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