WASHINGTON — The man in charge of developing and acquiring the Navy’s weapons systems said it’s going to be “a tough ramp up” to get Electric Boat’s shipyards and another at Newport News, Va., ready to meet the nation’s need for submarines. The decline in the U.S. manufacturing base and the retirement of skilled tradesmen pose key challenges.
Richard Blumenthal
Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator, was first elected in 2011. Sen. Blumenthal has supported stricter gun legislation and support for veterans.
Posted inPolitics
Kudlow to headline Shaban fundraiser
Washington – Larry Kudlow disappointed many Connecticut Republicans when he decided not run against Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, but the conservative commentator is trying to help in another way. Kudlow will appear at a fundraiser for John Shaban, a Republican state representative from Redding, who is running against Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District.
Posted inNews
Senate appropriators OK federal funds for Coast Guard museum
WASHINGTON — Senate appropriators for the first time on Thursday approved federal funding for efforts to build a Coast Guard museum on New London’s waterfront. Although the money, $5 million, is a small fraction of the projected $100 million cost of the museum, supporters hailed the move.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal says VA chief should apologize for Disney comments
Washington – Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined a growing number of lawmakers who slammed Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald for comparing wait times at VA hospitals with wait times at Disney theme parks.
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Blumenthal raffles D.C. lunch with himself – and Elizabeth Warren
WASHINGTON – Lawmakers have creative ways of holding fundraisers that include seats at sporting events and Broadway plays, but Sen. Richard Blumenthal has stepped up that innovation, raffling off a lunch with himself in Washington, D.C.
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CT lawmakers, advocates open to new Puerto Rico bill
WASHINGTON — A rare compromise between the White House and House Republicans on how to help Puerto Rico has received cautious acceptance from Connecticut lawmakers and advocates who had rejected previous congressional efforts to help an island mired in a severe financial crisis.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Murphy, Blumenthal say Supreme Court diminished by vacancy
WASHINGTON – Pressing for a vote on President Obama’s stalled nomination of Merrick Garland for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, Sen. Chris Murphy said the nation may be heading for an “era” when there will be fewer than nine justices to interpret the nation’s laws.
Posted inHealth, Politics
CT lawmakers seek more money as House, Senate split on Zika funds
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have split on how to fund federal efforts to fight the Zika virus, with Connecticut lawmakers playing key roles in trying to boost the amount of money that would go to states to battle the spread of the disease.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Politics
U.S. House votes to temporarily halt Plum Island sale
WASHINGTON — Connecticut lawmakers and environmental groups who want to stop a federal sale of Plum Island, won a key victory as the U.S. House of Representatives voted Monday to temporarily halt efforts to sell the property.
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Senate defense bill holds the line on F-35s, Black Hawks
WASHINGTON — A Senate defense panel has been far less generous to Connecticut defense programs than it’s counterpart in the House, which had boosted the number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter planes and doubled the number of Black Hawk helicopters the Pentagon had asked for.
Posted inPolitics
Wolf to petition for Senate primary, calls GOP convention ‘rigged’
August Wolf launched a petition drive Wednesday to force a Republican primary for U.S. Senate with an angry attack on the GOP delegates who snubbed Wolf’s yearlong campaign Monday and endorsed Rep. Dan Carter, a candidate for five weeks.
Posted inPolitics
CT GOP backs Carter for Senate, denies Wolf primary margin
State Rep. Dan Carter, R-Bethel, a three-term legislator and former military pilot, won the Republican endorsement for U.S. Senate on Monday in a rejection of the yearlong campaign of August Wolf, the businessman and Olympian who was the GOP’s only candidate until last month.
Posted inPolitics
Trump plays biggest role at Connecticut Democratic convention
Nominating Richard Blumenthal was the main order of business. But the specter of President Donald J. Trump starred Saturday at the Connecticut Democratic State Convention, a welcome presence to a party with divided presidential loyalties and the challenge of retaining control of the General Assembly in an angry and unsettled political year.
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As Congress balks, Puerto Rico on brink of financial meltdown
WASHINGTON – As the hours tick down toward Puerto Rico’s default on a massive debt payment Sunday, Congress has so far rejected solutions offered by Connecticut lawmakers and some Republican leaders to save the commonwealth from economic ruin.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Blumenthal leads bipartisan Senate effort to reform VA
WASHINGTON — With continuing scandals at the nation’s veterans’ hospitals, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and a Republican colleague introduced a sweeping new bill Thursday aimed at protecting whistleblowers and speeding the firing of bad actors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.