With a federal government shutdown looming, House Speaker John Boehner may not be keynoting the Connecticut Republican Party’s annual Prescott Bush Awards Dinner tomorrow night. Boehner is scheduled to headline the Stamford event, a major fundraiser for the state GOP. And he’d caused a bit of a stir by asking it be closed to the […]
Deirdre Shesgreen
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Blumenthal will forego paycheck, but probably won’t miss the money, if government shuts down
If there’s anyone who can stand to miss a paycheck or two, it’s a member of Congress. They are, generally speaking, a wealthy lot-the House and Senate each include dozens of millionaires, according to a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics. So the violins might not come out when lawmakers agree-as Connecticut Sen. Richard […]
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Connecticut Congressmen prepare for federal shutdown
WASHINGTON–Rep. Chris Murphy’s staff is contacting all the major federal agencies, to find out what services will be disrupted and what will continue. Rep. John Larson’s aides are preparing a message for his congressional website, with detailed information for constituents on how the shut-down may impact them. And Rep. Jim Himes is trying to figure […]
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State faces intense competition in bid for rail funds
Not surprisingly, Connecticut faces stiff competition in its bid for a slice of the $2.4 billion in federal high-rail that Florida’s governor rejected earlier this year. The Federal Railroad Administration announced today that it has received more than 90 applications from 24 states, the District of Columbia, and Amtrak. A tally of the funding requests […]
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Malloy says state prepared for federal government shut-down–if it’s short
As lawmakers in Washington continue their brinksmanship over a federal spending bill, Gov. Dannel Malloy said Connecticut is prepared for the possibility of a federal government shutdown–at least a short one. Malloy said last week, he asked all the Executive Branch department chiefs to submit an assessment of the potential impact of a shutdown on […]
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Murphy campaign says he’s raised more than $1 million
Chris Murphy’s campaign said Wednesday that his 1st quarter fundraising report will show that he’s raised $1.1 million in the first ten weeks of the 2012 U.S. Senate race. That’s about double what Murphy’s Democratic rival, Susan Bysiewicz, has told supporters she will report on April 15, when the two will have to file their […]
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Alec Baldwin makes pitch for Larson’s campaign finance bill
Rep. John Larson will need more than Hollywood star power to move his clean-elections campaign finance bill through Congress this year. But having a movie star at the kick-off press conference at least ensures a packed room. Reporters and congressional aides alike crammed into a small Capitol Hill conference room Wednesday morning, where Alec Baldwin […]
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Delegation pans GOP budget proposal–with one exception
WASHINGTON–Even before House Republicans had finished unveiling their dramatic budget proposal for 2012, Sen. Joseph Lieberman sent out a congratulatory statement on the GOP budget chairman’s plan. Lieberman said he wanted to thank Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who on Tuesday unveiled a proposal to slash nearly $6 trillion from federal spending over the […]
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All Lieberman needs is some pom-poms
Connecticut’s contingent in Congress spent a good part of Tuesday reveling in last night’s triumph by UConn’s Huskies in the NCAA men’s championship. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, said he mentioned the team’s victory every time he got in front of a crowd, including at this morning’s meeting of the House Democratic Caucus. Rep. Joseph […]
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Mother makes son’s disappearance a federal case
WASHINGTON–When Janice Smolinski first told the police that her son was missing, they dismissed it as a voluntary runaway case. After all, Billy Smolinski was a 31-year-old man living in Waterbury, a 6-foot-tall tow-truck driver who owned a small house and German shepherd. The local police didn’t think there was anything suspicious about his August […]
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State delegation sidelined in House budget showdown
WASHINGTON–With Connecticut’s congressional delegation mostly on the sidelines in the current budget battle, several lawmakers expressed deep frustration with the process and their diminished role in determining the outcome. “We don’t have a seat at the table,” said Rep. John Larson, a Democrat who represents Connecticut’s 1st District and who chairs the House Democratic Caucus. […]
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Cookies and popcorn on the line in tonight’s UConn game
Forget the showdown in Washington over this year’s spending bill. The real cliffhanger is, of course, tonight’s NCAA championship game between UConn’s Huskies and Butler University’s Bulldogs. To that end, Sens. Joseph Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal have put a bet on the congressional table-some Pepperidge Farm Swirl Breads and Dinner Rolls-that the Huskies will win. […]
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The perks of Congress: Members tout their work in free mailings
WASHINGTON–“Next Stop: 8,000 New Jobs,” beckons the headline of a flashy four-page flier, featuring a fast-moving train and a photo of Rep. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from the 5th District who is running for Senate. The mailing has all the trappings of a savvy campaign piece. It touts Murphy’s support for a new “cutting-edge” high-speed […]
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House Democrats propose overhaul of federal budget process
WASHINGTON–Imagine that after you filed your taxes this month, the IRS sent you back a receipt, showing how much of your income tax went to pay for everything from foreign aid to education, transportation, and entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security. That’s one provision of a bill, introduced by Rep. Jim Himes and several […]
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Middletown health provider testifies in Washington, but will anyone (in power) hear her?
Margaret Flinter, senior vice president of the Middletown-based Community Health Center, testified in Washington today about the importance of federal funding for such local health clinics. She said a $7 million federal investment is helping her Middletown facility double its capacity, creating new health care and construction jobs in that community, not to mention increasing […]