Joe Courtney

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, last year, candidate Trump, President- elect Trump, and now-President Trump repeatedly told the American people that he won't touch Social Security. We are now 2 months into his administration, and we are finding that the opposite is true. A headline yesterday in The Washington Post read: ``Long waits, waves of calls, website crashes: Social Security is breaking down.'' Next to me is a poster board from The Wall Street Journal. Some people may say that The Washington Post is always critical of President Trump, but this is The Wall Street Journal, an impeccable, center-right newspaper whose headline states: ``Dealing With Social Security Is Heading From Bad to Worse.'' The agency that administers benefits is cutting staff and restricting benefits as part of the Department of Government Efficiency review, or DOGE, the Trump initiative. Let's be more specific. What are some of those intentional policies that are being put into place? We know that there was a wave of those fork-in-the-road retirements that hit Social Security and reduced staff. We know that Social Security has already announced that the workforce is going to be reduced from 57,000 all across America to 50,000. Some may say: What is wrong with that? We should sort of downsize our workforce, make them more efficient. The fact of the matter is, if you look at how many people are beneficiaries today, with the baby boomer retirements that are swelling the ranks of Social Security beneficiaries, it is 73 million Americans now who are receiving Social Security benefits. These are people with retirement benefits, children who have lost a parent, and people on disability. We now have a bigger-than-ever population of people collecting Social Security benefits and a reduced staff. To put this in perspective, in 2010, not that long ago, the size of the Social Security workforce was 68,000, 18,000 more than what the Trump administration is targeting for today, and the number of beneficiaries in 2010 was 54 million Americans as opposed to 73 million Americans today. We have more people who need help with the Social Security system and fewer staff to help them navigate it. In just 1 week from today, they are pretty much going to shut off phone service for Social Security beneficiaries who are trying to sign up with their bank information to get on Social Security. This is something that has been normal practice, using very precise identifiers to make sure that waste, fraud, and abuse do not occur. By the way, Social Security's accuracy is 99.7 percent. That has been verified by outside audits and by the Social Security trustees. Yet, despite that track record, what they are going to tell Social Security beneficiaries, who sometimes struggle with online enrollment in other areas of their lives, is that they are not going to have the opportunity to use a phone service, which, again, has been in practice in the past for decades. They are also closing 47 Social Security offices across the country. Again, at a time when the number of people who need to interact and interface with the Social Security system is bigger than ever, they are shutting down offices, laying off staff, and shutting off phone service. The wait times, in terms of people trying to get appointments in person, are going to get longer. Just in the Northeast, we have already been told that the White Plains office in New York is going to be closed, and they are telling people to go to New Haven, Connecticut, my State. That is about a 2-hour drive for people if they want to have an in-person appointment who are now going to basically have a shuttered building in a very densely populated area outside of New York. The notion that the Social Security system, by this administration, is not being trusted, the opposite is true. DOGE is behind this, as The Wall Street Journal reported. Elon Musk, in an interview with FOX News, made it crystal clear his goal is to eliminate Social Security and get $800 billion to $900 billion of savings out of the Social Security system, which we know today is probably one of the most efficient agencies in the Federal Government in terms of the accuracy of their payouts. The pathway ahead of us is very crystal clear. Congress has to stand up as a coequal branch of government that enacted Social Security in 1935 and for 90 years--we are celebrating the 90th anniversary of Social Security--has been a pillar of middle-class retirement security and helping children who have lost a parent. Mr. Speaker, it is not an entitlement. It is not welfare. It is an earned benefit that people pay into. They should get that benefit when it is their turn to get the help from Social Security that we promised as Congress. Defend Social Security. Stand up for Social Security. Don't touch Social Security.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of an eastern Connecticut legend and public servant, my friend, Danny Rovero. Danny sadly passed away on March 5, 2025, at age 87. Danny's life was a testament to unwavering dedication, leaving behind a legacy that will resonate for generations. His journey, marked by service, entrepreneurship, and a deep-seated love for his community, stands as a beacon for all who aspire to make a lasting difference. Danny Rovero was more than a public figure; he was an integral part of the fabric Connecticut's northeast corner, the towns of Killingly, Putnam, and Thompson. His roles as Vice Chair of the Killingly Board of Education, State Representative for the 51st District, and Mayor of Putnam were not mere titles, but expressions of his profound commitment to the people he served. To understand Danny Rovero, one must look beyond his accomplishments and see the heart of a man who genuinely cared. Danny served as Mayor of Putnam from 1991 to 2005, the longest tenure in the town's rich history. Under his leadership, Putnam experienced a period of significant progress and stability. He understood the unique challenges faced by small towns and worked tirelessly to ensure their voices were heard--an approach to public service he took with him to the Connecticut General Assembly on behalf of the constituents he represented in the 51st District of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, where he served from 2011 to 2019. As a State Representative he was a voice for the overlooked and a champion for the underserved. His deep understanding of the region's needs, coupled with his pragmatic approach, earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Beyond his political achievements, Danny Rovero was a successful businessman and entrepreneur. For 35 years, Rovero's Amoco gasoline station stood as a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to providing essential services to his community. His business acumen, honed through years of hard work and perseverance, provided him with a unique perspective that he brought to his public service. He understood the challenges faced by small businesses and worked to create an environment where they could thrive. His commitment to service extended beyond his professional and political life. As a Korean Era Army veteran, he served his country with honor and distinction, spending 16 months in Korea. This experience shaped his character, instilling in him a sense of duty and a deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by those who serve. His dedication to education was a hallmark of his later years. He understood that education is the cornerstone of a strong community and worked tirelessly to ensure that every child had access to quality education. His commitment to the Killingly Board of Education exemplified this dedication. His ability to listen, to understand, and to advocate for the needs of students and teachers alike made him an invaluable member of the board, where his presence was a source of strength and stability, and his contributions will be felt for years to come. The outpouring of tributes and remembrance following his passing reflects the deep affection and respect that the community had for Danny. Friends, colleagues, and community members shared stories of his kindness, generosity, and unwavering dedication. His ability to connect with people from all walks of life was a testament to his genuine character. On a personal note, I was privileged to work with him during my time representing his beloved corner of Connecticut. He was a model to me of a public servant who listened to the people he represented and was always honest and ethical in his actions. He had a great sense of humor and never took himself too seriously. As the Irish say, ``He never put on airs''. Danny Rovero was a man of integrity and compassion. He lived his life with purpose, always striving to make a positive impact on the world around him. His legacy is not just in the buildings he helped to build or the laws he helped to pass, but in the lives he touched and the hearts he inspired. He was a mentor, a friend, and a role model. He showed us the importance of service, the power of community, and the enduring value of integrity. His life was a testament to the belief that one person can make a difference. In remembering Danny, we also remember the woman behind the public figure. He was a loving husband to his wife of 66 years, Judith, a devoted father to Ricardo, William, Jane, and Jill; a cherished grandfather to six, and a proud great-grandfather to two. His family was the center of his world, and his love for them was unwavering. Today, I remember Danny as a dedicated public servant, an entrepreneur, a veteran who served his country with honor, and a family man who loved unconditionally. His legacy is etched in the hearts of the people he served and served with. His impact will be felt for generations to come. His life was a testament to the power of service, the importance of community, and the enduring value of integrity. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and legacy of Daniel Rovero as the quiet corner of eastern Connecticut mourns his passing.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, we are now in the eighth week of the 119th Congress, which has distinguished itself with incredibly low productivity and low effort. So far, we have brought up just a bunch of moldy old leftovers from the last Congress. We have been averaging roughly about two votes a day since the Congress was sworn in on January 3. Despite the fact that we have a government shutdown looming in about 2 weeks, on March 14, the Speaker is much more focused on other things than trying to again avoid a catastrophe like that. It appears that this week we actually are going to take up the budget reconciliation bill that again has been worked out down at the Mar-a- Lago hotel over the last 2 months or so, where a conga line of billionaires have been observed walking through, meeting with leadership of the Republican Conference, laying out their priorities, not the American people's priorities, in terms of what they want to see in that reconciliation bill. This week, we are going to take up, apparently, according to the Speaker's Office, an actual vote on that. Why is that being given priority over a government shutdown? The real reason that is being given priority is that the tax cuts that were passed in 2017, particularly on personal rates, are going to be expiring in 2025. For the people who benefited the most, the top 1 percent of this country in terms of their economic position, for them, that is their number one priority. A week ago Friday, in the Budget Committee, on a party-line vote, the Republicans produced their bill, their budget reconciliation bill, which extends those tax cuts, despite the fact that it worsens our budget deficit and leaves middle-class and lower income Americans in the dust. This chart was done by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a nonpartisan think tank, which shows again where the benefit of that bill is going to go. The top 1 percent in income--in the State of Connecticut from where I am from, that is people whose income is about $1.2 million a year--they are going to get a $70,000 tax cut. For somebody who is in the lowest quintile, which is income up to $14,000 a year, you can see on this chart they are going to get about $130. For a middle-income person who makes roughly about $114,000 a year, they are going get about a grand in terms of their tax payments. Now, if we actually had a mature, reasonable process in this Chamber where Democrats would also be consulted in terms of putting together a plan to make sure that lower income and middle-income individuals' taxes don't go up, we could work out an arrangement, but not with a price tag of which the top 1 percent are going to continue to rake in tax cuts that were, again, shoved into the bill in 2017, lowering the top marginal rate from 39 percent to 36 percent. Again, that was just a complete and total windfall for people who don't need that type of tax relief. Let's look again at what else the Budget Committee did with this chart, which shows how they are going to pay for extending those tax cuts. The cost of extending those tax cuts for the top 1 percent is $4.5 trillion over the next 10 years. There were some other additions that they put into the budget, which are going to add to the deficit. To pay for it, they included a whole bunch of cuts. The big one is to cut the Medicaid program, a program which provides healthcare for 70 million Americans, such as people in nursing homes. Almost half the live births in this country are covered by Medicaid. Young, working-class individuals, because of the ACA expansion, are covered by Medicaid. Again, this bill talks about cutting $880 billion, about 20 percent of the cost of the program, indiscriminately with no precision in terms of who it is affecting. It has work requirements. Are people in their nineties in nursing homes really going to do that? Give me a break. There are some other cuts to higher education to help pay for this. The bottom line is, at the end of the day, we are still going to be adding to the deficit. The deficit hawks in the Republican Party are adding to the deficit with this measure on top of the deficits that we are already running today. This bill is fiscally irresponsible and outrageously unfair in terms of who benefits from it. It is extremely harmful to middle-class and working families of this country whose essential need for educational services and healthcare are going to be cut. They will take the hit in terms of advancing this priority. This is an important vote for the people of this country to be watching. This is a gut check for every Member in this House about where their priorities are because that is what budgets are about. They are an expression of people's moral values and their priorities in terms of who should get help in our country. This measure will not help the people who need it, who are still struggling with the high cost of living, and who don't need to basically have the rug pulled out from under them with a measure like this.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the first week of President Trump's Presidency, he announced with great fanfare that he was imposing 25 percent tariffs on our neighbors, Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The Wall Street Journal, hardly a Democratic newspaper, described this effort as the dumbest trade war ever. It was dumb because, number one, it violated the trade agreement that President Trump himself signed into law in 2020, the United States- Mexico-Canada Agreement. Again, tariffs like that are completely violative of that agreement. Number two, Canada and Mexico made it crystal clear that they would retaliate with tariffs of their own aimed at U.S. businesses and sectors of all sorts. It is mostly dumb because it is going to raise prices for Americans, which I think most of us in this Chamber who were on the ballot last November can still remember that that was the number one issue that Americans had. It is going to raise prices not just because I am saying it. The American Farm Bureau, which represents a cross-section of American food producers all across the country, warned the minute that proposal came out that it was going to raise the cost of fertilizer input costs that was going to end up in the grocery stores in terms of higher prices. American Home Builders, hardly a Democratic group, warned that those tariffs were going to raise the costs of building materials, whether it was wood or metal materials. That is going to translate into higher prices for new homes, the last thing we need in the middle of a housing crisis. Predictably, February 1, the first day the markets were open, the markets tanked in response to this proposal. Within hours, the President engaged in a face-saving measure to delay those tariffs for 30 days. They are still out there and pending. We will see what happens. Yesterday, right before the Super Bowl, the President came out with another proposal of a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum indiscriminately across the globe to any and all countries who do business with the United States of America. I want to talk about one Nation in particular, Australia. I co-chair the Friends of Australia Caucus. Today, the U.S. economy has a trade surplus with Australia. We export more into Australia than they export back to us. They have been a signatory with a free trade agreement with no tariffs going back to 2002. Again, as Secretary of Defense Hegseth stated yesterday at the Pentagon, when he met with the Australia Deputy Prime Minister, our alliance between our two countries, going back to World War I, is probably the most deep and strong of any other Nation in the world. At that meeting he was also there to receive word from the Australian Government that they are making the first payment on AUKUS, the Australia, U.K., and U.S. security agreement. Australia is putting $500 million into the U.S. industrial base to help our shipbuilding sector build more submarines, which is part of the AUKUS deal. It is a total of $3 billion. Again, the first check was delivered on Friday by the Australian Government for $500 million. Two days later, what do we see? We see a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum products coming from Australia into the U.S. at a time when we have a surplus with Australia. Australia is a key strategic ally for our country. They are positioned in the Indo-Pacific at a place where, again, tensions are sky-high. We need their input and their help in terms of making sure that we are going to rebalance that security environment and protect the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific. Instead, what we are seeing is a completely needless insult to the people of Australia by raising tariffs on Australian products coming into this country at the same time we are working with them and they are buying three nuclear submarines, cash on the barrelhead, full price, no gimme, no giveaway. Again, by all the measurements that President Trump talks about trade issues and that we are being ripped off by other countries, in this case every one of those arguments fails. The Friends of Australia Caucus is a strong bipartisan caucus that actually understands the importance of Australia. Again, we will do everything we can to make sure that this administration changes course and treats our friends and our allies with the respect that they deserve in terms of the contributions that they are making to their national security in a critical part of the world and our national security.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bethany Braman Foster of Ludlow, Massachusetts on celebrating 10 years of sobriety, which she achieved on January 31, 2025. This milestone, which required a lot of faith, self-discipline, and healthy choices is an achievement that her new husband Micah Welintikonas (U.S. Army, Retired), her family, and friends came together to honor. Bethany is the epitome of a community-oriented individual, leading her life with care and kindness. Bethany was always destined to lead a generous life. Since completing her education, Bethany has pursued an extremely successful career as a Physician Assistant (PA) in Springfield, Massachusetts. As a trusted medical professional, she has provided much-needed care and treatment to patients and families in times of need. Her exceptional work was recognized in 2024 when Bethany was named one of the top 5 medical providers from over 100 clinics nationwide. In addition to her devoted work as a PA, Bethany has found time to give back to her community in other ways. She has been a long-time volunteer at animal rescues, caring for animals and helping them find forever homes. Bethany has also been a devout volunteer for AWANA, a worldwide nonprofit ministry for children and youth. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues please join me in congratulating Bethany on 10 years of sobriety and recognize her as the exceptional citizen she has distinguished herself as. Bethany has led a life full of giving, exemplified through her selfless work in the medical field, countless community engagements, and her role as a loving mother to three children. Bethany, we congratulate you on this momentous accomplishment.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of a long-standing public servant, Gordon John Frassinelli, Sr. of Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Aged 88, Gordon passed away sadly but peacefully on October 26, 2024, in the arms of his loving wife Barbara and surrounded by his family. Gordon led a remarkable and full life full of love and dedication to his family and community that will be sincerely missed. Born October 8, 1936, to Lieutenant Governor Attilio ``Pop'' Frassinelli and Mildred (McLagan) Frassinelli in Stafford, Gordon was destined to live and thrive in Stafford. Gordon was raised in a close family and his father was a strong example of what it means to serve one's community. Gordon attended the Borough School prior to his tenure at Stafford High School where his strong work ethic and drive to help others became evident. In school, he served as a class officer as well as a member of the band, chorus, and drama clubs, student council, National Honor Society, history club, basketball team manager, and president of the ski team. This was only the start of a lifetime of community-based involvement. Following graduation from Stafford High School in 1954, Gordon attended the University of Connecticut where he continued overachieving. He served as President of the Newmann Catholic Society, played the French horn, served as President of the UConn marching band, and was a member of the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC), recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate when he completed the program. It was during this time that Gordon also fell in love with his life partner, Barbara Boone. Gordon graduated from UConn in 1958 and was commissioned as a lieutenant, serving his country in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1961. In the Army, Gordon furthered his education at the Adjutant Generals School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana and served on the staff of the school until he was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in February 1961. His service in the Army could not keep him from the love of his life, and he married Barbara on January 2, 1960. Gordon spent the bulk of his career working for the State of Connecticut from 1961 to 1992. Rewarded for his diligent work, he rose from the position of Trainee to the highest possible merit system position of State Executive Budget Officer in the Governor's Office of Policy and Management. As part of his work for the state, Gordon served as the architect of the state budget, always looking for the best ways to serve the people of Connecticut. I got to know Gordon during my time as a State Representative from neighboring Vernon and saw firsthand the high regard and respect Gordon commanded in both our state's Executive Branch of government and Legislative Branch. He was a true professional who made our state function well. While Gordon selflessly served the state, his top priority always remained his family, never missing a game or show for any of his six children, and later, his grandchildren. Many of his children also became active in local politics, keeping the family tradition alive. Raising a group of athletes, Gordon was a strong advocate for athletic programs on governing boards and commissions for youth athletics including as President of the Stafford High School Booster Club where he helped reinstate football at Stafford High School in 1980 after a 30-year absence. He also spent time as the President of the Stafford Olympics Youth Football Program. While Gordon enjoyed the Yankees and Celtics, UConn sports had a special place in his heart as a longtime season ticket holder for the women's basketball team. No matter what beheld him in his personal life, Gordon remained devoted to serving his community and enjoying time with his family. Gordon was a lifelong member of St. Edward Church, where he was baptized and married, volunteering to maintain the grounds, lecture, and share his voice as a member of the choir. Gordon also emceed at stag parties, fundraisers, and political dinners and spent time as a board member of the Italian benefit society, ``the Club.'' Always involved in supporting his local community, Gordon was also a member of the Stafford Scholarship Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee. In his retirement, Gordon settled into his role as a family man, helping out with everything from picking up kids and babysitting to building a house with his son-in-law. Even after suffering from ischemic optic neuropathy in 2001 and becoming legally blind, Gordon did not let anything stop him from enjoying and going about his daily life. Most of all, Gordon was always devoted to his wife Barbara, keeping humor and love alive in their relationship. Gordon had an incredible sense of humor and was simply an amazing reflection of what eastern Connecticut has to offer. His impact will not soon be forgotten, and his legacy will live on in the lives he touched and the long-lasting effects his work will continue to have on the Stafford and greater Connecticut community. Gordon is survived by his wife of 64 years, Barbara, his six children, 17 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, sister, and many nieces and nephews. To this end, I ask that my colleagues in this chamber join me in honoring the example left by my friend and colleague Gordon Frassinelli.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn a devastating loss in eastern Connecticut, with the passing of a beautiful married couple--Dr. Neil Brooks and his wife Sandi (Silverman) Brooks of Vernon, Connecticut. Neil Brooks passed away sadly and suddenly on November 27, 2024, at age 82. He was joined less than a month later when the love of his life, Sandi, passed away unexpectedly at age 81 on December 24, 2024. Neil and Sandi's longtime marriage was truly a masterpiece that their offspring, friends, and community will forever cherish in their hearts. Neil was born in Manchester, Connecticut to Abner and Lenore Brooks on November 17, 1942. Neil was raised in the Rockville section of Vernon, Connecticut, where his father was very active in the community in town working for a local textile company, Amerbelle Corporation, and personally raising money for the super-sized Horowitz Community Pool that generations of Vernon kids have learned to swim at--including my two children. Abner's example made a big impact on Neil's outlook on helping people and being involved in efforts to improve life for his neighbors. Neil attended Rockville High School, and then pursued his passion to study medicine, attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Hahnemann Medical School. After this, Neil came back to Rockville to practice family medicine. As a trusted doctor in the greater Rockville area, he cared for many thousands of patients and families in times of crisis and healing. Further down the East Coast, Sandi Silverman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lou and Mitzi Silverman on March 3, 1943. She grew up in the Philadelphia area, attending Germantown High School before studying at Temple University. Although they grew up with lives in different places, the stars aligned when Neil and Sandi met at the wedding of mutual friends, and they were married on July 2, 1966. This was the start of a loving 58- year marriage. Neil and Sandi were partners in all aspects of life, and nothing was more important to them than spending time with family and friends. They were known as a loyal, dependable couple, always providing support in whatever way necessary. In their free time, Neil enjoyed golfing and watching movies with friends and Sandi was known as a fantastic cook who loved to feed and entertain family and friends. Sandi joined Neil in Rockville, Connecticut, where he devoted his career as a physician to providing the highest standard of care to his patients and community. As if his work in family medicine was not all- consuming, Neil also served as the President of both the Connecticut and American Academies of Family Physicians, President of his synagogue, Medical Director at Vernon Manor, and in leadership roles at Rockville Hospital and the American Medical Association. His work involved lots of medical conferences and political work, which Sandi supported diligently, traveling all across the country. Despite their busy schedules, Neil and Sandi always prioritized the relationships in their lives--between each other, family, friends, and anyone else who crossed their paths. I had the privilege to know them as friends and supporters in my political campaigns--which always came with lots of passionate ideas and opinions that I always learned from. Usually, those exchanges took place in a New York-style delicatessen in Vernon, with Neil and his morning coffee group solving the world's problems. At both memorial services, their son David Brooks found the inner strength to speak powerfully and eloquently about the rich family life Neil and Sandi created. The crowds in attendance were visible evidence of the deep impact they made in so many lives. While we mourn the loss of these incredible individuals, we can take solace in the knowledge that they have been reunited with each other. And, as David stated, they left many memories that are blessings for those of us who knew them. Neil and Sandi are survived by their son David and his wife Jen as well as their granddaughter Emma, who is following in Neil's footsteps and studying to be a physician's assistant. They are also survived by nieces, nephews, and grandnieces. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in honoring Neil and Sandi Brooks and their amazing life story.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Mr. Frederick ``Jay'' Stefany for his 44 years of outstanding Federal service as a senior acquisition executive, as well as the first Maritime Industrial Base Program Manager for the Department of the Navy (DON). Since he began his distinguished career with the DON in 1981, Mr. Stefany has held several acquisition positions. Notably, he became a member of the Senior Executive Service in March 2012. In January 2021, he was selected to serve as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, (ASN RD&A) overseeing the Navy's acquisition workforce of more than 50,000 professionals and annual budgets more than $150 billion. His service to the Navy and Nation has included a variety of key leadership positions including Program Manager for the LPD 17 Class Amphibious Transport Dock ship program, Executive Director, Amphibious, Auxiliary, and Sealift Office, Program Executive Office, Ships, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Ship Programs, and as the Principal Civilian Deputy to ASN RD&A. In September of 2024, the Secretary of the Navy selected Mr. Stefany to stand up the Navy's Maritime Industrial Base Office responsible for strengthening and increasing the capacity of the Nation's maritime industrial base to build the Navy and the Nation's needs. As the Ranking Member and Chair of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, I had the pleasure of working with Jay directly on a wide range of issues in his portfolio. He was the consummate professional who gave Congress good advice and information so that we could perform our constitutional duty to ``provide and maintain'' for the Navy. Mr. Stefany's leadership of the Navy's acquisition corps was instrumental during a historic time in our Nation's history. With a rising China and resurging Russia, the imperative to grow the Nation's Navy and deliver advanced capabilities were critical to ensure the National Security of the United States. As the industrial base was recovering from the impacts of the COVID pandemic, under Mr. Stefany's steady leadership, the Navy delivered over 90 ships, thousands of critical munitions, and spurred new technologies to include unmanned and autonomous systems. Along with his leadership to strengthen and grow the maritime industrial base, his efforts have ensured the Navy is ready to compete and if required, defeat any adversaries. Throughout his illustrious career, Mr. Stefany has received various awards for his outstanding contributions to the DON, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Nation. These include the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service, DON Civilian Meritorious Service award, and two DON Civilian Superior Service awards. In addition, he is the recipient of performance-related accolades, to include the Navy's most prestigious acquisition excellence award, the Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer Memorial Award. Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Mr. Frederick ``Jay'' Stefany the III as he retires from Federal service.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, today, January 13 in Washington, we are in a little bit of a hiatus waiting for a new administration and a new Congress to begin the process of bringing forward new policy proposals and a budget. In the meantime, in the last 13 days, we have seen, I think, groundbreaking, exciting developments for the people of this country as a result of legislation that was passed in 2022 and 2023 and implemented by the Biden administration. The first is the PACT Act. In 2022, after 5 years of hard-fought advocacy by veterans' groups all across the country, this measure opened the door for veterans of the Vietnam war era and also the Middle East era, who suffered horrible cancers, heart disease, and life- threatening conditions, to make sure that they could connect to the VA healthcare system to get the help they need. Basically, what it did in 2022 was allow veterans who served in those parts of the world in those conflicts who suffered from 23 different illnesses--we are talking about cancers, heart disease, and life- threatening illnesses--to be able to avoid the gymnastics of having to prove to the VA where they were on such and such a date and how they were exposed to a burn pit or to Agent Orange. As a result of that, we have seen over 1.4 million veterans nationwide have their PACT Act claims approved and over 384,000 Vietnam, Gulf war, and post-9/11 veterans get newly enrolled in the healthcare system. Six million toxic exposure tests were done as a result of this law. Last week, on January 8, Secretary McDonough of the VA announced that another five illnesses are going to be added to the presumptive eligibility structure of the PACT Act claim system. Again, we are talking about very serious illnesses in terms of additional cancers and myelomas which today don't get the benefit of that fast-track process of getting their claims approved and getting the help that they need. This is making a big difference in my district, the Second Congressional District of Connecticut, which is home to the oldest submarine base in our Nation's history, with about 9,000 sailors and many retirees serving in the area there. Over 4,025 veterans in the district have filed PACT Act claims. That is more than double the rest of the congressional districts in the State of Connecticut. This has made a meaningful difference in the lives of people who wore the uniform of this country and, because of their service, incurred service-connected injuries that for many years had long been denied health coverage. I congratulate Secretary McDonough as he leaves his post for the swift implementation of the 2022 law. Cap on Out-of-Pocket Copayments in Medicare Part D

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, on January 1, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap is going to be initiated for seniors on the Medicare part D program. Fifty-three million seniors across the country use part D and because of the copayment structure, many of them pay in excess of $2,000 out of pocket. Starting on January 1, because of the Inflation Reduction Act and the prescription drug reforms that took place as a result of that, there will be a hard cap that no one will have to pay more than $2,000 during a calendar year for prescription drug coverage for people who suffer from chronic illnesses, such as MS and other cancers. This is a life-changing transformation in terms of both their healthcare coverage and delivery but also their financial circumstance, which for many years, despite part D being enacted back in 2002, they were incurring costs far in excess of $2,000. The numbers are in the hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of people who are going to benefit because of that new cap. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Secretary Becerra for the swift implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, which unfortunately was a very tough vote that took place in 2023, but it is paying off in real-life benefits for 53 million elderly and people on disability who rely on the Medicare system to get their lifesaving medication and drugs. This is real change that means something in real life for people. Hopefully, with this new Congress, we are going to follow up with this. We can extend that prescription drug benefit by passing the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act, which would extend these Medicare cost controls for prescription drugs to working-age families, to people's employment-based plans. Why not? Why should they have to pay more than their fellow Americans for healthcare and people all across the globe? Let's pass that law. Let's help the Americans in this country in this next Congress.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of Lieutenant Commander Darren Sill, United States Navy, during his outstanding service as a legislative fellow in my Washington, D.C. office this year. Throughout 2024, Darren has played a critical role in supporting my work on the House Armed Services Committee and representing the proud Navy community in eastern Connecticut. As Ranking Member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which has the solemn, critical duty of overseeing much of our Nation's Navy, Marine Corps, and various Air Force programs and policies, his perspective and helpful insights were essential to me and my office's work. Year in, and year out, the Department of Defense's legislative fellowship program brings highly talented individuals to Capitol Hill who provide invaluable benefits to Members of the House and Senate defense committees. Officers, like Darren, bring real-world experience from their time in the classroom at the various academies and experiences from their time serving on active duty. This year, as our subcommittee actively worked to shape our Nation's critical shipbuilding programs, particularly focused on the pursuit to add another Virginia Class submarine to the budget in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, Darren provided exquisite judgement in navigating the landscape of crafting such a large and critical piece of legislation. Darren has also seized initiative in a variety of areas beyond naval affairs that benefit eastern Connecticut. He worked tirelessly to provide insight into our Navy's planned shipbuilding programs, visited with leadership at Naval Submarine New London to discuss ongoing installation and submarine force operations, toured General Dynamics Electric Boat Shipyard, focused on submarine industrial base issues crucial to sustaining the Navy's fleet, and gained first-hand experience in Connecticut's substantial aerospace industrial base. He also used his recent shore assignment as a department head aboard the USS Texas (SSN 775) to provide invaluable insight on the Navy's submarine maintenance and sustainment capacity throughout the calendar year, providing a unique perspective on the challenges at our public shipyards. Lastly, he engaged in persistent communication with the embassies of Australia and the United Kingdom to facilitate various engagements in my office and around Capitol Hill and, most importantly, leveraged those relationships as Congress continued oversight of the trilateral AUKUS security agreement. Darren's work ethic, diligence, intelligence, and first-hand experience as a Submarine Officer made an immediate benefit and memorable impact on my office and subcommittee staff. He was also an energetic, affable colleague to my entire congressional staff, willing to help in small ways and big ways to serve the constituents of Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District. His thoughtfulness on issues outside of his Navy portfolio were much appreciated by the whole team, and they will be friends for life. After his Junior Officer tour aboard USS Scranton (SSN 756), a department head tour on USS Texas (SSN 775), a tour at the Pentagon with N133, and numerous stints in Groton at the Submarine Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, I am thankful for his family's tremendous sacrifice to our Nation and for landing in the District of Columbia for the current phase of their life. Though Darren's presence will be deeply missed by both my personal staff and Seapower staff, I know full-well that he will make his presence known as he heads back to the Pentagon to serve in the Secretary of the Navy's office as Director of White House and Congressional Affairs. I look forward to seeing Darren back in Groton when he attends the Submarine Command Course to prepare himself for command assignments in our Nation's submarine force. Mr. Speaker, as has also been the case for each of his predecessors that my office has had the opportunity to host, I have benefited greatly from Darren's training and background. This recurring process that the fellowship program fosters, strengthens civilian-military understanding for future leaders of the greatest military in the world, which I believe is a necessary component of a strong democracy. Our Nation is best served at sea and here onshore by officers and leaders of the highest caliber, like Darren. He embodies such qualities and has a promising career ahead in continued service to our Nation, and we owe him such gratitude. To that end, I ask that the House join me in wishing LCDR Darren Sill, his wife Andi, and their two children, Dawson and Mckenna, the best of luck in their next life chapter.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, as ranking member of Seapower, I thank all of its members for their input crafting this year's National Defense Authorization Act. I also salute my friend and outstanding chairman of the subcommittee, Trent Kelly, for his work crafting our bipartisan mark. I have a larger written statement which details our work, which I will submit for the Record, and I will use my time today on the issue which consumed the bulk of our time, namely the Virginia-class attack submarine program. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. attack submarine fleet stands as our unmatched strategic advantage against any adversary across the globe. There is overwhelming consensus in Congress, Navy, and industry that we need to expand output for our own fleet and to satisfy our Nation's commitments to the AUKUS security agreement. Despite the slowdown caused by COVID, there are promising signs of the industry's recovery. In 2024, the Navy commissioned the USS New Jersey, the 23rd Virginia sub, and will receive delivery of the USS Iowa next week. Next year, the Navy will take delivery of the USS Massachusetts and USS Idaho, the 25th and 26th boats in the class. This bill recognizes this progress and rejects the Navy's woefully inadequate budget request, which would undermine procurement stability that is essential to growing the program's supply chain. Simply put, to meet our strategic goals, we have no other choice than to move forward with a strong demand signal. Final language in this bill uses incremental authority to fund a second Virginia submarine and provides additional authorities that will allow shipyards to boost wages, a critical step to increase recruitment and retention among the metal trades workforce. This is not pie in the sky. Indeed, just last month, OMB and the Navy belatedly acknowledged our committee's stance and sent over a supplemental request to Congress of nearly $6 billion for the Virginia- class submarine program. It is our hope that, with this bill and the supplemental request, the Navy and industry can achieve an even higher production cadence and execute the long overdue next block contract for the program. This bill truly carries out our constitutional duty in Article 1, Section 8, ``to provide and maintain a Navy.'' I thank our subcommittee staff, Phil MacNaughton, Ian Bennitt, Kelly Goggin, Kyle Noyes, and Ethan Pelissier, for their work in crafting this product.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of a bill that the House will be voting on this week, H.R. 8753, which directs the U.S. Postal Service to designate a single, unique ZIP Code for certain communities. H.R. 8753 will provide long overdue relief to 45 mostly small towns in 13 States from Connecticut to California by fixing a chaotic situation where the residents' ZIP Codes are hopelessly carved up in a hodgepodge that results in lost mail, delayed mail, and wrong deliveries. One of the towns included in H.R. 8753's list is the small town of Scotland, Connecticut, located in the heart of eastern Connecticut, which I have the great privilege to represent. Scotland is the quintessential historic New England small town with a population of 1,576 people. It may be small, but its history is rich. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Huntington, was born in his family's home located in Scotland, and today it is the significant part of the Rochambeau National History Trail which was the route that the American Continental Army under the leadership of George Washington and John Baptiste Rochambeau marched in 1781 from Newport, Rhode Island, to Yorktown, Virginia, where the Battle of Yorktown took place and the small army of colonists defeated the greatest military power of the British Empire. Today, in 2024, it is a town that the U.S. Postal Service has assigned five, that is right, five ZIP Codes that caused endless aggravation and harm to the towns' residents. Delivery of Social Security notices, checks, Medicare information, prescription medication, notices from banks, employers, absentee ballots and absentee ballot applications are all disrupted day in and day out. Town leaders in my office have tried, along with Senator Chris Murphy, to get this ridiculous almost Monty Pythonesque absurdity resolved for many years with the Postal Service, to know avail. This week's action by the House will mandate that USPS address this problem once and for all by designating a single, unique ZIP Code for these 45 small towns. Mr. Speaker, this vote has been a long time in coming. I recognize the town's first selectman, Mr. Dana Barrow, and his predecessor, Mr. Gary Greenberg, who have diligently raised this issue, along with the town postmasters, with the Postal Service for many years laying out the real-life consequences of fragmenting this small community and essentially disconnecting it to the vital services that the residents require. This week the House can help Scotland, as well as 44 other similarly situated towns, by passing H.R. 8753. The bill was reported out of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee unanimously and has strong, bipartisan support. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleague to support this measure, send it to the Senate for swift passage and to the President's desk. The hardworking, taxpaying citizens of these towns deserve to get the same level of postal service as every other community.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the diligent and honorable service of the president of General Dynamics Electric Boat, Mr. Kevin Graney of Stonington, Connecticut. On December 1, in a couple weeks, Kevin is slated to retire from his eventful and impactful 5-year term as the shipyard lead for the United States Navy's submarine force, and it is more than fitting that this Chamber take a moment to recognize his extraordinary service to our Nation. A native of Cheektowaga, New York, Kevin's career spans nearly 40 years of service to the Navy's shipbuilding enterprise. His intelligence, patriotism, and leadership qualities stood out at an early age, foreshadowing a promising career as a naval officer. Upon graduating high school, he attended State University of New York Maritime College, earning a bachelor's degree in marine engineering and nuclear science, which would serve him well as a submariner and instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit in Ballston Spa, New York. Following a distinguished career at sea, Kevin began his shipbuilding career at General Dynamics Electric Boat in 1995 as a senior engineer working on critical power components for the Virginia-class submarine program. Following his assignment at Electric Boat, he moved to Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia to design the reactor plant for the next- generation aircraft carrier, the CVN-78 program. He then moved overseas and managed Electric Boat engineers to assist our allies in the U.K. as they built their British Astute-class nuclear submarine program. Eventually, he returned to Electric Boat and began his last term over the last 5 years in 2019 as CEO of the shipyard. During his time, the 120-year-old EB shipyard experienced a massive generational transformation with new and improved infrastructure, increased hiring, and new operations to dramatically improve performance and efficiency in the submarine industrial base. In 2023, Electric Boat hired nearly 5,400 new workers, the biggest number in its history, even surpassing its growth in World War II and the Cold War. The total workforce today now exceeds 23,000, and they are still hiring today. If that was not challenging enough, 5 months into Kevin's ascension to president, the shipyard was confronted with the global COVID pandemic. It is hard to visualize how difficult it is to manage an airborne pathogen in a shipyard, particularly a submarine shipyard where, again, the quarters are so tight. Nonetheless, they kept the shipyard open. They did not close for a single day during the pandemic, and that is because Kevin Graney overcame this crisis and skillfully managed operations to continue as a critical industry in our Nation's security. After performance across the shipyard and the nationwide industrial base was stabilized, it was then faced with increased rates of retirement of senior workers and a corresponding reduction in the supervisory trade workforce. Since then, Kevin has spearheaded recovery efforts that have transformed the shipyard in just a short time. A few months ago, he signed a 5-year Metal Trades collective bargaining agreement with the Metal Trades Council, which represents machinists, electricians, carpenters, teamsters, and boilermakers that increased their pay by 25 percent, retaining their pension and health benefits at the same time. Next to me is the USS Iowa, the 24th Virginia-class submarine, which was delivered to the Navy a couple of weeks ago. As I stand here today, it is undergoing sea trials and will be commissioned to the U.S. Navy in a few months or so. Mr. Speaker, as ranking member and chair of the House Armed Services' Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee and the Congressman representing EB's facility in Groton, Connecticut, I have had a front- row seat to Kevin's tenure. It was not an easy time. Through it all, though, he maintained a steady level of confidence from his peers and overcame adversities that were not anticipated at the start of his tenure. I haven't even talked about the AUKUS security agreement, which last December this Congress voted to sell three Virginia-class nuclear- powered submarines to our great ally, Australia, the first time in history our country has ever made that commitment. He has built the foundation, and it will be incredibly difficult to replace him, but we welcome the next president of Electric Boat, Mark Rayha, who I am sure will continue in Kevin's steps. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Kevin as he enters this new era of retirement with his wife, Cheryl, and his daughter, Katherine. I ask that my colleagues in the House, and particularly those who serve on the House Armed Services Committee along with me, join me in recognizing his life of service to the Navy and the United States by submitting his legacy into the permanence of the Congressional Record.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 10 years of operation for Cloverleigh Farm of Columbia, Connecticut. Cloverleigh Farm is owned and operated by Susan Mitchell. Susan's remarkable leadership and tireless work ethic has grown the farm into a staple of eastern Connecticut agriculture. Cloverleigh's success is inseparable from Susan's. Susan's agricultural journey started in the State of New York. She taught science in Cornwall, New York, a town in the center of the Hudson Valley which is dense with small, sustainable farms. Susan's love for cultivation was apparent even before officially becoming a farmer. As a science teacher, Susan transformed her environmental science classes into an army of horticulturalists. Using Cornwall High School's garden, Susan taught her students how to seriously tend to the land. The fruits of the school garden were sold to the school's cafeteria as ingredients and donated to a food pantry in the town over. She then began farming in New York's Hudson Valley before moving to Connecticut in 2010 and starting Cloverleigh Farm in 2014. Her gift for agriculture and support for her community has become infectious since she planted her roots, literally and figuratively, in our State. Susan became a founding member of the New Connecticut Farmer Alliance, a member and leading advocate of the National Young Farmers Coalition. She is also a member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut as well as the Connecticut Farm Bureau. Susan has trekked down to Washington to advocate for issues pertaining to young and beginning farmers, including the crucial issues of land access, support for organic operations, access to capital for young and beginning farmers, and student loan forgiveness. She works with local school districts, including that of my hometown, Vernon, to supply the produce for their farm to school programs. Susan has participated in novel approaches to getting nutritious food out to the community, including the Healthy PlanEat food delivery box program, and participating in annual ``Know Your Farmer Fair'' events. Most importantly, I have had the pleasure of being a customer of her produce at a local farmer's market. The carrots, radishes and melons she grows are the best. Community lays at the center of Susan's agricultural vision. Just as the Cornwall school garden gave back to the community which fostered it, Cloverleigh has time and time again reinvested into the eastern Connecticut community. After years of farming in Columbia, CT, Susan finally owns land of her own in Columbia. During my many visits to Susan's farms, I've had the privilege of seeing firsthand the care and love she puts into farming. She has introduced me to UConn students who are working with her and bringing that knowledge back to the university; she has been a tireless advocate for the needs of small, new and beginning, and specialty crop growers; and her friendly demeanor and tenacious spirit have driven her to this incredible milestone of 10 years in operation. I congratulate Susan on this incredible achievement. I am indelibly grateful for her advocacy and support for the community, and I wish her the best as she embarks on the next decade of this farm.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mary ``Marie'' Fitzgerald of Norwich, Connecticut. Mary passed away peacefully on October 5, 2024, at the age of 99. As a lifelong resident of Union Street, she was a pillar of the Norwich community, touching countless lives in her almost half-century of service as a teacher. Mary was born on December 14, 1924, in Norwich, Connecticut, to William and Kathryn Fitzgerald. Her father was an amazing person, whose legacy of public service lives on at the local, state, and federal levels. He grew up in a first-generation Irish American family, went to work in a foundry at the age of 15, and because of his work ethic, became a foreman, was elected Mayor of Norwich, and in 1936, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. As a freshman member of Congress, he succeeded in passing the National Apprenticeship Authorization Act-- ``The Fitzgerald Act'' which set national standards for apprenticeship training that still is the law of the land. He returned to Connecticut and served in WWII on the Connecticut War Production Board, which produced military equipment (submarines, aircraft engines) that was instrumental to the success of the allied nations. As his daughter, Mary grew up close to all the action of such a dynamic leader. After her family returned to Norwich from Washington, Mary too chose a path of public service, albeit in a different form. After completing her education, Mary dedicated her life to early childhood education and the profession of teaching. For many decades, she worked as a kindergarten teacher, helping to shape the minds of generations of children. Mary led with compassion and went above and beyond to create a caring and supportive environment for each student who entered her classroom. She helped instill a love of learning for an incredible number of students who will not soon forget her impact. Mary loved her neighborhood and the people around her. Outside of her work as a teacher, she thoughtfully devoted her time to charities throughout the community as well as her church. Mary also served as a devoted Parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Patrick, attending mass every day and attending virtually when she could no longer attend in person. She was also a member of the Rosary Altar Society and the Connecticut Alpha Delta Kappa Chapter, a fraternal organization for teachers. In her free time, Mary was adventurous and loved to have new experiences. Starting in 1969, she traveled with her best friend Phyllis. Together, they saw several countries and six different continents, finding favorites in Ireland, Japan, Bermuda, and New Zealand. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to represent constituents like Mary. Her friends and family remarked that Mary had an infectious love for life and emulated devotion to her community. She was a beloved teacher and community leader, and we can take solace in the knowledge that she has left a legacy through each and every one of her students and the countless individuals who knew her. She is survived by generations of cousins including Mary ``Betsy'' Clarke, Heather Anderson, and Adam Clarke and their respective families. Mary is also survived by her neighbor, David Bonneville. I request that my colleagues honor Mary's life of service.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, one of the most ridiculous and, really, almost offensive narratives that is out there is that America is a nation in decline. You see it on social media. You see it at rallies that are being held all across the country. I would suggest to all of my colleagues, if you really want to see the ultimate rebuttal of that argument, then you should go visit a facility like Naval Station Great Lakes, which is in north Chicago and is the largest training facility for recruits going into the Navy since 1911. When I was at the national convention back in August, I had a chance to stop by and visit the Great Lakes Naval Station. I spoke at a graduation ceremony for 946 enlistees. It was just a magnificent sight. It was the melting pot of America, recruits from all over the country, every corner, every ethnic group. There were naturalized Navy recruits, immigrants who had come to this country and gone through the immigration process to now wear the uniform of our country. I can tell you, those recruits were ramrod straight and were totally motivated and excited about the decision they made to serve our Nation. In my opinion, that is the best rebuttal to anyone who thinks that this country is headed in the wrong direction. Last year, the Navy fell short in its recruitment efforts. Their target was 37,700. They ended up recruiting only 30,236. As the ranking member of the Armed Forces Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, this is an issue of great concern because the tempo of Navy deployments, whether it is in the Middle East, whether it is in the Indo-Pacific, or whether it is in the North Atlantic is really at a high, high level. We need more people, and we need more good people. Here is the good news. In 2024, the Navy is exceeding its recruiting targets. What we saw at Great Lakes in Chicago was that, in fact, this year, they are having to defer some of the recruits that have signed up coming out of high school this year, and they had to find more beds to accommodate the recruits that are coming into the service. The young people of this country, in my opinion, that is the most powerful statement about them, the fact that they are willing to put their time and their lives into the decision to serve our Nation. Another indicator, Mr. Speaker, is how our allies regard us. Here is a picture from the Groton submarine base in southeastern Connecticut, which I have the honor to serve. Last year, we passed a measure to establish the Australia, U.K., and U.S. security agreement, AUKUS, which provides for those three countries to unite in terms of pushing back and rebalancing the security environment in the Indo-Pacific. Crucial to that is joint training of Australian Naval officers and enlisted persons who are going to be undertaking nuclear-powered submarines in the early 2030s built here in the U.S. This is a graduating class of Aussies in Groton, Connecticut, the first enlisted group. They were tops in the class. They actually ranked higher than Americans who were part of the class that was there. The excitement and enthusiasm, the passion that they have for their work, but also their love for America was just so powerful. Talking to these young men who were there that day, one of their first graduates, an officer, was at the helm of the USS Hawaii, a Virginia-class attack submarine, and he drove it into the Navy station in western Australia in Perth. Again, that training took place here in the U.S., in Groton. That is going to continue. There are over 100 more Australian Naval enlisted and officers that are going to come through this process. Those countries are committed, and they see the U.S. as really at the center in terms of trying to provide peace and prosperity, supporting the rule of law, and maritime freedom in the Indo-Pacific, which is under such great stress and strain. Again, we are not a nation in decline. The young people up at the Great Lakes Naval Station and our allies are coming to the U.S. to skill up and uplift in terms of making sure that the mission and the values and interests of democracies in this country are going to survive and prosper well into the 21st century. Again, I congratulate those sailors, and I congratulate particularly those young 17- and 18-year-olds who enlisted and are in Chicago and who are going to do great things for our Nation.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, this coming Saturday, September 14, the USS New Jersey, the 23rd Virginia-class submarine, is going to be commissioned in northern New Jersey. It was delivered to the Navy earlier this year. Next to me is a photo of USS Iowa which is going to be the 24th Virginia-class submarine which is going to be delivered next month. This is a shot from the drydock in Groton, Connecticut. Early next year, the 25th submarine, the USS Massachusetts is going to be delivered to the Navy. Later in the year, the 26th submarine, USS Idaho is going to be delivered to the Navy. In the following year in 2026, USS Arkansas and USS Utah are also going to be delivered. Again, these are really the most critical maritime vessels, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. We are here on China week. What is happening in these shipyards is the best rebalancing of deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region. It is happening at the same time that we are building the Columbia- class submarines which are the ballistic submarines. Those submarines are actually 2\1/2\ times the size of the Virginia-class submarines. They are just massive vessels which, again, are critical because the hull life of the submarines they are replacing, the Ohio-class submarines, are over 40 years old. All this work, again, is something that is really driving a lot of economic activities certainly in southern New England but, frankly, all across the State. Again, Congress has had a big part to play in terms of funding. Just in the recent supplemental, the submarine industrial base funding is aimed at three different things: number one, workforce; number two, supply chain; and number three, facility. This is a picture of a supply chain company in Tolland, Connecticut, which is in my district in eastern Connecticut, Shelby Supply Company. The gentleman on the far right is Tim Briere. He is the owner of the company. Their hiring has grown three times over the last 3 years because of the metal fabrication work that they do that, again, are a part of the submarine industrial base. The woman on the far left in this picture is Amanda Dodd. She is somebody who grew up in Connecticut. She moved to Texas. She is a welder, and she moved back to Tolland, Connecticut, last year. She is part of the team there that is contributing to this production process which took a hit during COVID. There was a slippage in terms of the production cadence and the schedule, but now they are recovering it. Congress has had a big part to play in terms of giving the funding for programs like those that Shelby Supply is part of. In August, I visited Divers Cove, American Systems in Norwich, SEACORP in Groton, and Collins and Jewell in Bozrah. Again, these are all supply chain companies which are part of this enterprise. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I would just say that when we look at the horizon as far as the amount of work we are talking about here, it is at least 20 years, and we have to go younger and sooner in terms of training up people in terms of the metal trade skills and engineering skills that are going to be essential if we are going to succeed in this shipbuilding plan. This is a picture of a welding lab where last Friday we had a ribbon cutting. This is a small public high school up in the northeast corner of the State of Connecticut, Tourtellotte High School. It is a regular public high school. This is a comprehensive high school, not a trade school. Because of the submarine industrial base funding which passed in this Chamber earlier this year, they, again, are now installing more welding booths so that the students are going to be able to take advantage of this opportunity. The welding class used to be eight kids. Now it is going to be 50. These are kids who when they graduate from high school are going to be eligible to get their security badge, go into the shipyard, and be part of this production process. Interestingly, talking to Superintendent Melinda Smith and some of the teachers at the high school, because of this program, students who otherwise would really not be that connected in terms of the work that was going on there because they really were not college bound, attendance is now going up. It is because these kids understand that this program which they really like, which is about an hour and a half a day, if they don't show up for school, then they are going to get removed from the program. It is a win-win situation in terms of increasing educational proficiency in terms of all subjects, but particularly in giving people a skill which is a life skill that is going to allow them to succeed in the future. Again, this is now happening not just in trade schools, which are wonderful, the career and technical schools which now have waiting lists for kids who want to get involved, but it is also happening in nontrade public high schools. Westbrook High School in Connecticut is also going to be a part of this program, and that is how we succeed as a nation to recapitalize our Navy fleet.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate a pillar of public service, James Bartelli of Waterford, Connecticut. James is retiring this year as the Director of Utilities from the Waterford Utility Commission after 39 years of dedicated service. His almost four decades of outstanding expertise and dedication to his community will be sorely missed. James's professional career has been defined by his service to the community. James began his journey with the Waterford Utility Commission in 1985 when he started as a sewer maintainer and has worked his way up from apprentice to director. From a young age, James was able to apply and develop his specialized knowledge and caring disposition to a range of different positions with the Utility Commission. James has since remained a dutiful protector of his community in Waterford, serving in many different capacities with the Waterford Utility Commission. Given his steadfastness, James was promoted several times within the Utility Commission, quickly moving up the ranks. He spent more than 20 years as the Assistant Director, making changes for staff and customers of the Waterford Utility Commission that enhanced the community. His valuable contributions to Waterford residents in all situations were recognized time and time again and he achieved the position of Director, a position he has dutifully held for the past two years. James's dedication to his work is evident in his demonstrated enthusiasm to jump into action in any scenario no matter how complex, working through bad weather, budget crises, and anything in between. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to represent constituents like James Bartelli. James has been an exceptional public servant throughout his life, and he is deserving of a relaxing retirement. James's nearly 40 years of unwavering dedication to the Waterford community will leave a legacy for years to come. He will leave behind an expert skill set and enthusiasm that will be hard to replace. We can take solace in the knowledge that James's tireless work will continue to be felt in Waterford for decades to come. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing James Bartelli's immeasurable contributions and congratulating him on his well-earned retirement.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with the House an event which took place last Monday in East Hartford, Connecticut, at the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology. It was a gathering of educators, the U.S. Navy, and shipyard manufacturing, which is a part of the Connecticut economy, to announce a new initiative which is really going to define the job market and the economy of our State for the rest of the 21st century. Hire Hartford is an initiative that the Navy and Electric Boat shipyard have put together to expand the scope of recruitment and hiring for good careers. These are metal trades jobs and engineering and design jobs, which are all part of an effort that is going on right now that Congress has been funding for the last 10 years, which is to recapitalize our submarine fleet. Again, Electric Boat, which is in eastern Connecticut, the part of Connecticut that I represent, is a shipyard that has been in existence for about 120 years. We have a submarine base right up the Thames River that has about 16 attack submarines that operate out of Groton, Connecticut, which is where it is located. It is the oldest submarine base in the U.S. Again, between the shipyard and the base, eastern Connecticut has been, in my opinion, justifiably called the submarine capital of the world. Right now, we are at a place where, again, our country needs to recapitalize an aging fleet of submarines that were built back in the 1970s and 1980s, and a tremendous amount of work is underway. Last year, Electric Boat hired 5,300 workers, some at the Quonset Point shipyard a little bit farther up the coastline in Rhode Island, about two-thirds of it in Connecticut. This picture shows some of the young 18- and 19-year-olds who are part of this effort who are going through career and technical education schools. Some of the regular comprehensive high schools have also created career pathways to teach people how to be welders, electricians, outside machinists, shipwrights. Again, this is some of the group that were hired this past spring. If you can see closely, these are 18- and 19-year-olds. They may go to college at some other point in their lives, but at this point they are about to get a badge and security pass so they can go out and be part of this amazing effort which, again, is a platform that the Pentagon and the U.S. Navy have identified as the most critical procurement program in the defense budget. Last year, we entered into an agreement with the Government of Australia and the Government of the United Kingdom called AUKUS which, again, is about trying to strengthen collaboration between the three countries to push back what is going on in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is exercising totally illegal efforts to control the maritime space. The one platform which, again, they cannot solve is nuclear-powered submarines. Australia has made a commitment to put $360 billion over the next 10 years, because they have an aging diesel electric fleet, to replace them with nuclear-powered submarines. Those boats are going to be built by these young people that are here and also those that because of the Hire Hartford event that we were at just a few days ago are going to now be recruited as part of this effort. My friend in the chair represents the State of Alabama. They are part of that effort, as well. Austal shipyard is now going to do steel fabrication to build these amazing vessels. A Columbia-class submarine, which is the new ballistic subs, are 20,000 tons. The Virginia attack submarines, which are the ones that carry conventional weapons and get in and out of places that, again, the Chinese Navy can't find, those are 7,800 tons. These are tremendous wonders of modern technology, incorporating nuclear power. They are, obviously, the state-of-the-art weapons systems that we need to create real deterrence and the talented crews that, again, do amazing work even at a young age. Hire Hartford, which expands the radius of recruitment out of eastern Connecticut into the central part of the State, was part of the program that we had this past Wednesday, which is going to incorporate the high schools, the job training programs for young adults, the University of Connecticut School of Engineering, which is training a lot of the new engineers that are part of this effort. It is all going to come together, again, all across the country because we need to make this a national effort to make sure that we have the Navy that we need in the 21st century. I congratulate all the organizers of this event, led by the Navy, the Submarine Industrial Base Council, which we just funded with a supplemental bill just a few weeks ago, as well as, again, the shipbuilders, the amazing men and women who are doing so much work to protect our Nation.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5441, the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Reauthorization Act of 2023, which I introduced as the lead Democratic sponsor along with my Republican colleague and Long Island Sound Caucus co-chair, Nick LaLota from New York. This overdue, bipartisan bill, which will be voted on this evening, reauthorizes critical Long Island Sound program funding, which expired at the end of the 2023 fiscal year. Congress must reauthorize this important program as soon as possible to ensure that Federal funds can continue to preserve and protect this unique body of water in the most densely populated area of our country. Mr. Speaker, Long Island Sound is a national treasure. It is a tidal estuary that stretches 110 miles west to east, from the East River in New York City to Block Island Sound in Rhode Island. Its depth ranges from 65 feet to 230 feet, allowing transit for large and small ocean- going vessels. Eighteen freshwater rivers flow into its salt waters, inducing an abundant array of plant life, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, and birds. It has been inhabited by humans for centuries, before European settlement up to the present. Now, more than 20 million Americans live within an hour's drive from its shores. It is also a powerful engine to the region's economy, including maritime transportation, commercial and recreational fishing, ecotourism, and other water-dependent industries, including shipbuilding. Submarine construction at Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, in my district in southeastern Connecticut, employs 16,000 workers and another 7,000 at Quonset Point in Rhode Island. With all of that activity, it is clear an organized effort is required to sustain the Long Island Sound economy in a way that balances growth with its core natural coastal habitat. To respond to this need, Congress passed the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, which provided Federal dollars going back to 2006 for projects to revitalize the wildlife population. In 2018, Congress reauthorized that law and greatly expanded the annual investment to $40 million per year. Thanks to that funding, the amount of nitrogen entering Long Island Sound from sewage treatment plants has been reduced by 70 percent compared to the 1990s; hypoxic conditions have been reduced by 58 percent compared to the 1990s; over 2,239 acres of coastal habitat have been restored; and 570 conservation projects have been funded. Through the advocacy of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Long Island Sound received $40 million in both 2023 and 2024, the largest funding level in the history of the program. Mr. Speaker, to ensure that Congress can continue to support this amazing success, we must move quickly tonight and pass H.R. 5441. Again, I thank my fellow Caucus co-chair, Representative LaLota from New York, and the Natural Resources Committee for their leadership in moving this bill forward. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill. Welcoming Liat Beinin Atzili

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome Liat Beinin Atzili to Washington, D.C. She is visiting the White House today to advocate for the safe return of all Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. Liat, a dual American-Israeli citizen, and her husband, Aviv, were violently taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 from their Kibbutz Nir Oz. Liat's extended family lives in Waterford, Connecticut. She had, in fact, visited that coastal town just weeks before the October 7 attack. When her cousin in Waterford, resident Jerry Fischer, learned that Liat and her husband were kidnapped, he immediately called me on the morning of October 8. Within just a few hours, my chief of staff, Ayanti Grant, set up Liat and Aviv as missing person cases to the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, immediately putting those agencies into action. Over the following weeks, those agencies worked with the Atzili family closely to ensure that her release was a top priority for the administration. Thanks to President Biden and Secretary Blinken's persistent diplomatic efforts, Liat was released 53 days later, alongside 104 other hostages taken during that weeklong cease-fire last November. Unfortunately, hours after Liat's release, she was informed that her husband, Aviv, had been murdered by Hamas on October 7. The relief and joy that she and her family experienced upon her release was abruptly replaced by grief and sadness. Despite her traumatic loss, Liat is here today in Washington as a living, breathing example of what diplomacy and negotiation can achieve. She wants to make sure that every other hostage gets the same result that she did. I thank Liat, her father, Yehuda Beinin, and her cousin, Jerry Fischer, for turning this horrific experience into a call for a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 8070. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution mandates that Congress shall provide and maintain a Navy. The Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee's work clearly met that mandate, thanks in large part to the great leadership of my friend and chair of the subcommittee, Trent Kelly. The biggest challenge our subcommittee faced stemmed from the Navy's proposal to eliminate a Virginia-class submarine from the FY25 budget. This is a sharp deviation from the two-per-year procurement rate Congress has authorized and funded for the last 13 years and, coming on the heels of last December's passage of AUKUS authorities to sell three submarines to Australia, screamed out for the subcommittee to exercise its constitutional duty of review and oversight. First, our analysis found that the Navy's attempt to shield supply chain vendors from the impact of a cut falls short. It leaves out hundreds of critical suppliers whose investment in on-time deliveries has been identified as the number one strategy to reduce construction delays. For these suppliers, cutting procurement means cutting orders for their business. That is a cure that worsens the problem. It doesn't fix it. Our professional staff confirmed that the Navy's plan needs an additional $1 billion to achieve its stated goal of avoiding vendor instability and hesitancy. Mr. Chair, all of us are concerned about construction delays aggravated by the pandemic, but the subcommittee also recognized the momentum that is happening in real time in the submarine industrial base. The 24th Virginia-class submarine, USS New Jersey, was delivered 2 months ago, and the Iowa and Massachusetts are slated for delivery by the end of this year. Idaho and Arkansas will follow shortly after with deliveries in 2025, bringing the program total to 28 submarines. In the New England shipyards, the production cadence has accelerated to 1.4 up from the COVID dip of 1.2. As a result of all this, our bill takes a different path. It heeds the calls from our combatant commanders and builds on the surge in deliveries by restoring a second Virginia-class submarine to the Navy shipbuilding account and fully resources the supply chain. Under the able leadership of Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith, this bill passed 57-1 out of the committee after bipartisan input from all Members, an extraordinary achievement in this very polarized time in Congress. Hopefully, all the Members of this Chamber will work to maintain that successful approach and not load up this bill with divisive amendments. Mr. Chair, I give special thanks to the talented committee staff for their outstanding work, and I urge all Members to support the committee's intent to focus on strengthening defense and rejecting the obvious poison pills that undermine the 63-year tradition of bipartisan passage of the NDAA.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, a couple of weeks ago, on May 29, Grasso Tech, a career and technical secondary school located in Groton, Connecticut, was the site of an extraordinary event, the Electric Boat High School Signing Day. Mr. Speaker, Electric Boat is a shipbuilding company over 100 years old, headquartered in Groton. It has a proud history of building submarines during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War, with a workforce of highly skilled men and women who have always answered our Nation's call to deliver perhaps the most complex platform in our Nation's arsenal. These technological wonders operate in an environment that does not support human life, with stealth and power unmatched by any other peer nation. Today, in 2024, the shipyard is experiencing another historic period of workforce growth. EB is the general contractor for both of the Navy submarine programs, the Virginia-class attack submarines and the Columbia ballistic submarine program. Both programs represent an effort authorized and funded by Congress to recapitalize our Nation's aging submarine fleet, which is in high demand driven by a high tempo of operations all across the globe. In 2023, EB hired a staggering 5,300 new workers in the metal trades and engineering and plans to double that number in 2024. In order to meet that demand, trade schools, regular comprehensive high schools, community colleges, job training programs, including pre-apprenticeship and full apprenticeship classes, have been ramping up since 2016. On May 29, Grasso Tech hosted over 200 graduating 17- and 18-year- olds from across Connecticut and neighboring States, who walked across the stage, received their hardhats, a certificate, and a handshake from representatives of the yard, welcoming them to a rewarding and exciting career with great starting wages and benefits. Many are graduates from Grasso Tech, whose principal, Patricia Feeney, and her amazing staff imparted training as welders, electricians, designers, and other skills that positioned them to take on this work. In addition to Grasso, other tech schools, such as Norwich Tech, Ellis Tech, Windham Tech, and Vinal Tech, are part of this concerted effort to connect students to this opportunity. Not just tech schools were part of this ceremony. Regular comprehensive high schools are getting into the act with Career Pathway programs, accessing Federal Perkins grant funding to set up machine booths, welding booths, machine tools, and other equipment to train up high schoolers in collaboration with EB. Westbrook High School, Tourtellotte High School in Thompson, Norwich Free Academy, Daniel Hand High School in Madison, and Waterford High School, just to name a few, are actively creating these pathways for nontrade high school secondary students. As I said, the plan this year is to hire an additional 5,000 workers. One of the other key engines to achieve that goal is the Eastern Connecticut Manufacturing Pipeline, which provides accelerating job training for adults looking to work in the yard. MPI will train a job-ready welder in 10 weeks, and electricians and outside machinists in 8 weeks, free of charge. It started in 2016 with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor and, as the chart shows, has grown exponentially, with 945 graduates in 2023, a pace that is continuing as I speak here today in 2024. Mr. Speaker, what is so special about MPI is that its classes operate in the late afternoons and evenings at Grasso Tech. After the tech school programs end at 2 p.m. and the students go home on their buses or with their parents, the MPI students arrive to use the school's welding booth machine tools that otherwise would lie fallow. It is a brilliant, efficient way to use the facilities to keep the training and hiring process moving forward. What is the outcome of all this? Mr. Speaker, our submarine industrial base is picking up the pace of production. A month ago, USS New Jersey was delivered to the Navy. USS Massachusetts and Iowa are on track for delivery by the end of 2024. That is the 24th, 25th, and 26th Virginia sub, and the 27th and the 28th are slated for delivery in 2025, the USS Idaho and the USS Arkansas. There were 5,300 hires last year with 86 percent retention; 5,200 hires on track for this year with 90 percent retention, and five attack submarines to be delivered in over a 2\1/2\ year period. It is a great testament to the American worker who, as in times past, has overcome the skeptics and stepped up to keep freedom's forge moving forward. I congratulate all the 200-plus students, who now have the clearance badge to show up for work in Groton, on a job well done.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago, the month of May was designated National Military Appreciation Month by an act of Congress introduced by the late Senator John McCain, a war hero from the State of Arizona. Since then, throughout every May, our Nation observes a series of military events: On May 8, Victory in Europe Day, the date Nazi Germany surrendered in World War II; May 10, Military Spouse Appreciation Day, to recognize the exacting service of military spouses; and, May 18, Armed Forces Day, to honor the roughly 1.4 million people who serve as Active-Duty troops in all six branches and the 760,000 National Guard and Reserves, every one of them volunteers. Lastly, on May 27, our Nation will observe its most solemn national holiday, Memorial Day, when across the country events will be held at military gravesites and veteran gathering places to remember and pray for those who gave their lives in defense of our Nation's freedoms and security. Mr. Speaker, the definition of appreciation is to express gratitude. Gratitude can come in many forms, verbal, which certainly counts, but the most meaningful is tangible support for the disruption and sacrifice that the hard work of military service entails. Mr. Speaker, I have the honor to represent eastern Connecticut, home to the largest military installation in New England, with 9,000 sailors, officers, and DOD support personal, the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, and the highest concentration of veterans in the State of Connecticut. Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a Veterans' Coffeehouse nearby the submarine base, a monthly event hosted at Filomena's, a restaurant owned and operated by Michael Buscetto, whose amazing staff and volunteers donate a piping hot breakfast to 50 or so local vets to share war stories, have a few laughs, and catch up on new developments for the veteran community. I was asked to provide a legislative update on a variety of those issues. The most prominent was a progress report on the milestone PACT Act signed into law by President Biden in 2022 that finally knocked down barriers to healthcare and benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxins during the Vietnam war, the Gulf war, radiation cleanup, and Camp Lejeune, the most significant expansion of benefits and services to toxic-exposed veterans ever. Since the bill was signed, implementation has moved fast, as this chart shows. As of a few days ago, the VA reported that over 1 million PACT Act-related claims have now been granted, delivering more than $5.7 billion of benefits to veterans and their survivors. Over 145,000 new veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare, and over 5.4 million free toxic exposure screenings were given to all veterans whether they are enrolled in the VA or not. The law was further expanded a few months ago, to include veterans who not only served overseas, but also those who only served in the continental U.S. and are suffering from the cancers and heart disease caused by toxic exposure. I also briefed the coffeehouse on a new measure, which the House Armed Services Committee, on which I sit, will take up tomorrow, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act. This bill, thanks to the bipartisan efforts of the Quality of Life Panel, will provide additional resources and new authorities for servicemembers and their families. This effort could not come too soon. Last year, for the first time in over 20 years, the Air Force missed its Active Duty enlisted recruiting goal. The Army fell short of 10,000 enlisted recruits, and the Navy fell short over 7,000 enlisted sailors and 2,000 officers. Included in this bill for tomorrow are authorities to alleviate pay discrepancies for junior enlisted servicemembers, combat food insecurity, support childcare, and spousal employment opportunities. Importantly, the bill authorizes a 19.5 percent increase in military pay for junior enlisted servicemembers. The bill will also cover 100 percent of basic allowance for housing to ensure that servicemembers can cover the cost of housing no matter where they are stationed. It will also make the basic needs allowance available to all servicemembers with dependents whose income is less than 200 percent of the poverty guidelines, making more servicemembers eligible for the program. Incredibly, the panel documented that 25 percent of junior enlisted servicemembers today are forced to enroll in food stamps in order to put food on the table for their families. Lastly, the DOD will be given the authority to transfer professional licenses between States for military spouses, and fully fund childcare fee assistance programs to eliminate wait lists for eligible families. This is the sort of meaningful gratitude that truly adheres to the goals of Military Appreciation Month. As John McCain often quoted George Washington: ``The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive how the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.'' These powerful and wise words are true today more than ever with an all-volunteer force, and we should finish the job for successful implementation of the PACT Act and pass this year's quality of life bill as soon as possible.