WASHINGTON – Rep. Rosa DeLauro may be on the brink of losing a key battle in the fight over a new Pacific Rim trade pact, but that’s not likely the end of the lawmaker’s campaign to oppose it. Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Himes is being punished by organized labor for his stance.
Congress
Posted inNews
Murphy pushes Senate vote to bar ground troops from ISIS battle
Washington — Sen. Chris Murphy Monday pushed his campaign to bar American ground troops from the U.S. fight against ISIS by pressing for a Senate amendment that would prohibit the Pentagon from putting boots on the ground.
Posted inNews
Labor vows political fallout from Himes trade stance
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jim Himes is in Germany with President Obama for the G-7 meeting of major world economic powers, evidence of the president’s success in influencing key members of his party to vote for a trade measure considered a poison pill for most Democrats. Immediately, organized labor said there would be a political price to pay for Himes’ support on the trade bill.
Posted inNews
Himes says he’ll side with Obama on key Pacific trade deal vote
WASHINGTON – Rep. Jim Himes, targeted as a key swing vote, has decided to back President Obama on legislation that would help the president negotiate a controversial trade deal with 11 Pacific Rim nations.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CT says it has six months of transportation funds if Congress fails to act
Washington — The law that authorizes federal transportation spending in Connecticut and across the nation runs out at the end of the month, and the fund that pays for that spending is expected to go broke two months later, but Connecticut says it has funding in place for at least six months’ worth of projects if Congress fails to act in time to avert the looming crisis.
Posted inHealth
Malloy urged protection for pharmaceutical firms in trade pact
WASHINGTON – Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and other elected officials lobbied the Obama administration for a provision in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact that would protect pharmaceutical companies making some of the most cutting-edge and expensive drugs against competitors who want to make cheaper, generic versions of those medicines.
Posted inNews
House panel advances defense bill with billions for Connecticut weapons
WASHINGTON – With the backing of Rep. Joe Courtney, the House Armed Services Committee this week authorized billions of dollars for weapons systems built in Connecticut, including $1.4 billion for a new fund to pay for a new class of nuclear submarines likely to be built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton.
Posted inNews
DeLauro hosts salon to help Clinton drum up endorsements
WASHINGTON — Although she’s considered her party’s front-runner in the race for the White House, Hillary Clinton has not locked up the endorsements of even half of the Democrats in Congress. So Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who endorsed Clinton last week, offered to help boost those numbers this week.
Posted inNews
BIA takes heat from CT lawmakers, others on Indian recognition
Updated at 8:48 p.m.
WASHINGTON – Kevin Washburn, the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, hinted Wednesday he may have eliminated a provision in new tribal recognition rules that would stymie efforts by several Connecticut tribes to seek federal status.
Posted inPolitics
Obama administration moving new tribal recognition rules
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is on the brink of making new federal tribal recognition rules – a move that could be a boon to several Connecticut tribes. Opponents, however, fearful of the ramifications of the new rules on casino operations and land claims, are making 11th-hour attempts to stop or slow the process.
Posted inPolitics
Esty raised most campaign cash this year, but Himes has biggest war chest
WASHINGTON — While it seems they ended their last campaigns just a short while ago, the members of Connecticut’s House delegation have begun raising money for their re-election efforts. Rep. Elizabeth Esty brought in the most money during the first quarter of 2015, but Rep. Jim Himes had the most cash on hand.
Posted inNews
With Murphy’s support, Senate moves forward on education overhaul
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan compromise that would shift control of some key education issues from the federal government to the states unanimously cleared a key committee Thursday.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Murphy bill would create tax break for ‘angel’ investors
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chris Murphy would give “angel” investors a new federal tax break and is also co-sponsoring another bill introduced Thursday that would erase a barrier between those investors and start-up companies that need their money.
Posted inPolitics
With $1.2 million haul, Blumenthal kicks off campaign cash chase
WASHINGTON — Although he has yet to announce his political intentions, Sen. Richard Blumenthal raised more than $1.2 million in campaign cash this year — a sign he’s mounting a race for re-election.
Posted inPolitics
Bank that boosts Connecticut exports under fire
WASHINGTON – For years Connecticut companies, large and small, have benefitted from a federally backed bank that helps them sell their goods overseas — but a bitter fight over whether the Export Import Bank is taxpayer-funded corporate welfare has put its future in question.