Dear Friends, 

The news of covert ICE operations at our airports, where Donald Trump’s secret police snatched residents in our state straight out of security lines, was a national outrage. Since then, we have learned that TSA was sharing passenger flight data directly with ICE, including names, addresses, and even credit card numbers—while they leave state and local law enforcement, and even the Connecticut Airport Authority, in the dark. Armed with your private information, ICE has only continued their Gestapo tactics: ripping families apart, gunning down residents, and executing U.S. citizens in broad daylight. They are past reform. They need to be abolished. I recently announced the No TSA Data for ICE Act, urgent legislation to end the coordination between ICE and TSA that enabled these secret raids at Bradley. You can watch my press conference outside ICE’s Hartford field office with State Reps. Maryam Khan and Jane Garibay, and former State Rep. Ed Vargas, below.

With housing costs surging nationwide, Senator Chris Murphy and I convened a roundtable to discuss a new law we passed in Congress, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. It takes real steps to increase housing supply, expand access to affordable housing and homeownership opportunities, and crack down on corporate landlords. President Trump refused to sign it, calling it a “big yawn” as he tried to hold progress hostage in an attempt to force through his extreme “SAVE Act” that would make it harder for millions of Americans to vote. We forged ahead, rejecting his Jim Crow-era voting restrictions and passing this bill into law without his signature. Growing up in a federal housing project, I know firsthand what owning a home can mean for a family, and this new law will help restore that dream for more Americans. 

 State Rep. Jason Doucette, Rep. Larson, Senator Chris Murphy, and Manchester Mayor Jay Moran discuss the new housing law with local leaders and advocates 

I joined Speaker Matt Ritter and local leaders to break ground on new housing in Hartford’s Blue Hills neighborhood. The fourth phase of the Willow Creek project will mean 56 new, affordable units for residents. I was especially proud to announce that this development was backed by $14 million in federal tax credits. It has been a record year for new housing in Connecticut, but we have to build on that momentum to ensure everyone has an affordable, quality home to call their own. That’s why I introduced the American Affordability Act with a group of my Democratic colleagues to establish a first-ever renter tax credit as well as a first-time homebuyer tax credit. Furthermore, this bill will help spur the development of 500,000 new affordable homes over the next decade, while also bringing down the cost of electricity by investing in grid modernization and energy efficiency incentives like the ones that are part of this project.  

Rep. Larson at Willow Creek with state and local leaders, including Speaker Matt Ritter, Commissioner of Housing Seila Mosquera-Bruno, and Connecticut Housing Finance Authority CEO and Executive Director Nandani Natarajan

After months of President Trump’s illegal Iran war, at least eighteen of our servicemembers have lost their lives and Americans everywhere are paying more at the gas pump. In the House of Representatives, we have now voted twice to bring our troops home, but the President continues to ignore Congress. Donald Trump is not above the law. That’s why I introduced articles of impeachment to remove him from office and filed a resolution to enforce the War Powers Act in court. I also introduced a new bill, the No Funds for Illegal Wars Act, to cut off all funding for Trump’s illegal war in Iran and prohibit the use of any federal funds for military conflicts not explicitly authorized by Congress.

Watch Rep. Larson’s video on the No Funds for Illegal Wars Act here.

At the end of July, we marked the 61st anniversary of Medicare. I joined members of the Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans and CSEA SEIU Local 2001 Council 400 to celebrate this critical milestone. Our seniors rely on the Medicare coverage they’ve earned through a lifetime of work to stay healthy as they age. Today, it is shamefully under threat by Republicans in Congress and President Trump—who triggered the largest cut to Medicare in our nation’s history to help finance tax breaks for billionaires. In 2022, we made progress to lower costs for seniors by empowering Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices and cap out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions at $2,000/year. As Republicans try to chip away at this progress, we need to do more. That’s why I’m fighting to reverse their cuts and finally pass Medicare for All, because no one should ever be denied the care they need in the wealthiest nation in the world.  

Rep. Larson celebrates the 61st birthday of Medicare with the Alliance for Retired Americans and CSEA SEIU Local 2001 Council 400 retirees in Hartford

Last week, Rep. Joe Courtney and I brought together local leaders and environmental advocates to celebrate a key milestone in ending sewer flows into the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. Currently, over one billion gallons of sewage are discharged into the river from Hartford every year. After President Trump proposed an 89% cut to funding for clean water, we pushed back — rejecting the President’s proposal and securing new investments to combat pollution, including more than $30 million to construct a pump station that will stop these sewer overflows. The project will be completed later this year—built by Connecticut State Building Trades union workers.

State Rep. Jane Garibay, East Hartford Councilman Awet Tsegai, MDC Chief Executive Officer Scott W. Jellison, Rivers Alliance of Connecticut Executive Director Alicea Charamut, State Rep. Renee LaMark Muir, Rep. Joe Courtney, MDC Commissioner Ed Vargas, Angel of Edgewood CEO Jendayi Scott, Rep. Larson, Project Oceanology Executive Director Andrew Ely, Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Lori Brown, and Connecticut River Conservancy River Steward Amber Lively  

I have been proud to lead the fight in Congress to ensure Connecticut workers keep the world's top fighter jet—the F-35—flying right here at Pratt & Whitney for years to come. Following our delegation’s effort in Congress to increase investments in spare part and engine manufacturing, it is great news that this funding was signed into law and a $1.3 billion contract was awarded to support good-paying jobs in East Hartford and Middletown, and at suppliers in Windsor and across the state. I visited the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local Lodge 1746 in East Hartford to celebrate this surge in federal funding we secured for our state’s highly skilled machinists and engineers. I will never stop fighting for the hard-working machinists and engineers that call our state home, who ensure every day that our Armed Forces and allies have the best equipment possible. Together, we will continue to support Connecticut’s manufacturing supply chain and keep the eagle flying for years to come.

Rep. Larson at the IAM Local Lodge 1746 with State Rep. Patrick Biggins, veteran and East Hartford resident Bridgitte Prince, Connecticut State Council of Machinists President Pat Buzzee, AFL-CIO Eastern Connecticut Area Labor Federation President Kirby Boyce, Rep. Larson, East Hartford Town Council Vice Chair Don Bell, IAM Local Lodge 1746 Vice President Geronimo Valdez, and IAM members

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