Dear Friends, 

In Congress, I remain focused on delivering for Connecticut communities, and protecting families, seniors, and small businesses from wrongheaded Trump Administration policies.

Extreme floods—made worse by climate change—have plagued our region in recent years. I recently joined Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal in Southington, along with State Representative Chris Poulos, to announce $300,000 in new federal funding to advance flood mitigation efforts that will better protect Plantsville homes and small businesses. Earlier this year, I was also in Southington to announce $2 million for a new facility to remove cancer-causing PFAS chemicals from the town’s water supply. I will continue to advance funding for projects to keep residents safe in our communities.

Southington Councilmember David Zoni, Rep. Larson, Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, Town Manager Alex J. Ricciardone, and State Representative Chris Poulos with Plantsville community leaders 

Like many of you, I have been horrified by ICE’s abuses of power—an agency that has been transformed into Donald Trump’s own personal army, with a budget larger than most nation’s militaries. They need to be disbanded. We’ve seen agents snatch mothers from their children at car washes in Newington and Southington and even take an Afghan green card holder in my hometown of East Hartford. Most recently, Seyo was detained by ICE agents in unmarked vehicles, with guns drawn, outside a Dunkin’ Donuts on Park Road. He is legally authorized to work in the United States and owns a restaurant and dry-cleaning business in West Hartford. We rallied the West Hartford community to demand Seyo’s release and led a probe by members of the Connecticut Congressional delegation into his detention—and he was released. Speaking out matters. Together, our community sent a powerful message: we will not stand by as ICE ambushes and abducts our valued community members.

Rep. Larson with Senator Richard Blumenthal and Seyo’s son, Emir Cecunjanin, and local leaders, including State Senators Matt Lesser and Derek Slap, West Hartford Deputy Mayor Deb Polun, Councilmembers Barry Walters, Tiffani McGinnis, Ben Wenograd, and Lisa Lazarus, and Park Road Association Co-President Tracy Flater

More than a decade since the crumbling foundations crisis was first discovered in Eastern and North Central Connecticut, as many as 35,000 homes and condos have been impacted. Families have been stuck with exorbitant repair costs—some in the hundreds of thousands of dollars—with no relief from the federal government. Rep. Joe Courtney and I introduced the Casualty Loss Deduction Restoration Act to help residents recoup some of those costs, by allowing homeowners with crumbling foundations to claim a deduction on their taxes for repair costs. This month, our plan advanced out of the Ways and Means Committee with a unanimous, bipartisan vote. We gathered impacted families and local leaders in Hartford to celebrate this win and call for a full vote in the House. You can watch our press conference below. 

For over 30 years, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership has been a lifeline for manufacturers across the country, helping them modernize, innovate, and compete in our global economy. In our region alone, the program has contributed over $274 million in economic impact and supported close to 1,000 jobs. Last year, President Trump tried to shut down this program. Senator Blumenthal and I spoke up, and funding was restored. Last week, we visited Carey Manufacturing in Cromwell to announce $1.85 million in new funding for CONNSTEP to help local manufacturers grow. From Electric Boat to Sikorsky, Kaman, and the hundreds of suppliers across the supply chain, manufacturing is part of our state’s DNA. We will keep fighting to protect investments in local manufacturing, and secure new resources to better support small businesses.

Rep. Larson with Carey Manufacturing Vice President Alison Carey Lynch, CONNSTEP Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center Director Barbara Fernandez, Senator Richard Blumenthal, CONNSTEP staff, and Mike Fallon, Outreach Director for the Office of Senator Chris Murphy

To follow what I’m working on both in Washington and in Connecticut, visit my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or follow me on Instagram.     

Regards,

John B. Larson
Member of Congress