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Dear Friend,
After another busy week in Congress, I’m back home in eastern Connecticut. Here with an update on a strong jobs report for eastern Connecticut, my work to support military families, and more. As always, thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
Eastern Connecticut Leads the Way with Another Strong Jobs Report
First this week, some excellent news. The May report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed continued strong job growth across Connecticut, and once again, eastern Connecticut led the way.
Throughout 2023, the Norwich-New London area was the fastest growing job market in our state, and the trend continued in May – clearly driven by the hiring surge at the Electric Boat Shipyard and the submarine industrial base.
The Electric Boat “Signing Day” ceremony, which took place a few weeks ago in Groton with over 200 high school students across the region, was an exciting addition to the surge.
Hearing from Military Spouses at SUBASE New London
Military spouses may not wear the uniform but they serve our nation, too. Last Friday, I sat down with a group of spouses at SUBASE New London to hear how Congress can help them access a rewarding career and ensure their children have access to affordable child care.
The Armed Services Committee, which I sit on, recently passed sweeping improvements to help address many of the issues the spouses shared with me.
The committee-passed 2025 National Defense Authorization Act includes a 19.5 percent pay increase for junior enlisted servicemembers, a fully funded basic housing allowance, better access to quality health care and affordable childcare, and expanded employment opportunities for military spouses.
There’s still more work to be done. I look forward to continuing working alongside our active-duty families in eastern Connecticut to make sure they have the support they need.
For an all-volunteer force, improving the quality of life for active-duty families is not just the right thing to do but a real imperative to maintaining a strong force. Thank you to Captain Kenneth Curtin, the Commanding Officer at the SUBASE, and the Fleet and Family Support Center team for hosting a great dialogue.
Visiting a Partner to Eastern CT Shipbuilders
I started this week visiting shipbuilding and Navy installations in Virginia with a group of my colleagues from the House Armed Services Committee. Our bipartisan delegation’s meetings with Newport News Shipbuilding and the Fleet Forces Command demonstrated the strong maritime relationship between Virginia and Connecticut.
Together, the talented shipbuilders in our states are making a strong recovery from the dip in submarine production during COVID. The yards have delivered six Virginia Class submarines since 2020 with another, the USS Iowa, slated for delivery by end of this year. There’s no question we have more work to do to increase production cadence, which is why my colleagues and I are pushing to keep funding strong for the Virginia Class program in the upcoming budget.
Additionally, both yards are leading aggressive hiring campaigns to meet the slew of work on deck between the Columbia and Virginia programs. Leaders at Newport News Shipbuilding told us they plan to build off of eastern Connecticut’s federally-funded Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative to meet its recruitment and retention goals. Kudos to the Eastern Workforce Investment Board for creating a national example of workforce training programs.
We also had the chance to tour the USS Gerald R. Ford, a 110-ton aircraft carrier. There, I met the outstanding crew, including the 19 year-old sailor responsible for driving this ship. This young man demonstrates the outstanding talent of our youngest sailors and the great opportunities our Armed Forces can provide recent high school graduates.
Welcoming the Second District’s 2024 Art Competition Winner to Washington
Congratulations to Kayla Lin, the 2024 Congressional High School Art Competition winner from Connecticut’s Second District!
Kayla is a rising Junior at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs. Her work, Solitude Served Warm, is displayed in the Capitol building alongside winning pieces from all other Congressional Districts. Kayla came down to Washington this week, and I had the chance to welcome her.
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| Solitude Served Warm by Kayla Lin |
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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