WASHINGTON – Images of Ferguson police dressed in riot gear, riding in massive armored vehicles and using high-power rifles like those used by the U.S .military has touched off a debate on the wisdom of militarizing police forces across the nation, including those in Connecticut, by giving them cast off Pentagon equipment.
Joe Courtney
Joe Courtney, a Democrat, has served as the U.S. representative for Connecticut’s second congressional district since 2007.
Posted inPolitics
Hopkins-Cavanagh takes on Courtney in a long-shot bid
Like many challengers, Lori Hopkins-Cavanagh is short on campaign cash and name recognition and long on ideas, enthusiasm and disgust with the way things are run in Washington D.C.
“I’ve got quite a mountain to climb,” said Hopkins-Cavanagh, a Republican, of her bid to win the 2nd District seat in Congress.
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Courtney hoping nickname ‘Landslide Joe’ not a joke anymore
WASHINGTON – Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, came into office on the slimmest of victories, a surplus of just 83 votes that earned him the jocular nickname “Landslide Joe” among his colleagues. This time, as he seeks re-election for a fifth term in Congress, Courtney hopes the nickname is no joke.
Posted inNews
Washington Watch, Week of Aug. 3
Congress is on a month-long August break with a lot of unfinished business to face when it reconvenes in September. This includes an immigration bill acceptable to both chambers and the White House, and a way to fund the federal government past the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30.
Posted inNews
House overwhelmingly approves VA overhaul
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a $17 billion bill aimed at coming to the aid of the scandal-plagued Department of Veterans Affairs.
All five Connecticut House members joined the majority as the bill was approved on a vote of 420 to 5.
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CT House incumbents winning political money race
WASHINGTON – Of Connecticut’s members to the House of Representatives, Rep. Jim Himes has raised the most money in this election cycle and Rep. Rosa DeLauro the least. Republican challengers, meanwhile, are losing the fundraising race.
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Interactive: Donations to Congressional candidates
Explore our interactive graphic that shows who is donating to Connecticut’s congressional campaigns, what those people do and where those people live.
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Vacation? How about staying in D.C. to fund roads?
Washington – It’s not often Connecticut’s Democratic lawmakers and the state AFL-CIO agree with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but when it comes to federal transportation funding, they’ve found themselves on the same page.
Posted inMoney
House votes to boost spending on Sikorsky ‘copters and F-35’s
Washington – In a boon to Connecticut –based defense contractors, the House on Friday voted overwhelmingly for a defense budget that would increase President Obama’s request for Sikorsky helicopters and for F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, whose engines are produced by Pratt & Whitney.
Posted inHealth
‘Observation status:’ The term hospital patients should know
Patients, take note: Starting Oct. 1, those who spend more than 24 hours in the hospital could receive notice that they’ve been placed on something known as “observation status.” It’s a technical term, but one that could mean the difference between having their recovery paid for or ending up with a hefty bill.
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Washington Watch, Week of June 8
This week Congress will fight over the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap, and over how to find money to avert at a summertime highway-project funding “cliff” that could slow and even halt road projects in the state.
Posted inHealth
State regulators did little to curb Aetna rate hikes
Washington –- For years, insurance giant Aetna charged individual health insurance policyholders in Connecticut premiums far exceeding industry norms compared to what it paid out on medical claims. The oversized rates were allowed by the Connecticut Department of Insurance and only ended with the implementation of Obamacare.
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Modest pay, long hours for most who work for CT Congressional delegation
Connecticut lawmakers differ on who they hire to run their offices and how much they pay their staffers. But an analysis by the Connecticut Mirror shows that, except for the top staffers, those who work for Connecticut members of Congress are paid less than their counterparts in the private sector or the civil service.
Posted inPolitics
Electric Boat wins big with approval of funding of new nuclear sub
WASHINGTON – Benefiting from the Pentagon’s plans to “rebalance” the U.S. military, Electric Boat is a big winner in a $600 billion defense authorization bill that is expected to soon win House approval.
Posted inPolitics
Courtney tussles with GOP lawmaker over fast food wages at military bases
Washington – Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, Wednesday took on Rep. Scott Rigell of Virginia and other Republicans who want to stop a hike in the minimum wage for restaurant workers on the nation’s military bases.