Earlier this month, I had the honor of joining a “welcome home” ceremony for Soldiers and Airmen of the Connecticut National Guard’s 643rd Military Police Company and the 103rd Air Control Squadron, who returned from months-long overseas deployments.    These men and women, and their families who sacrifice alongside them, represent the best of our state. To the 643rd Military Police Company and the 103rd Air Control Squadron, thank you for your service.

Since the Garde Arts Center opened in 1926, it has been a gathering place where generations of the New London community have experienced the arts. Yesterday, I presented the Garde with a Congressional Record statement from my office recognizing its 100th anniversary and its enduring contributions to New London and southeastern Connecticut. Even through uncertain times, the Garde Arts Center has remained at the center of cultural and educational life in Connecticut and will remain that way for generations to come. I was glad to make the Garde’s century of history part of the permanent Congressional Record.

Weekend nor’easter: current forecast models indicate that Connecticut will see moderate rainfall across the state over the course of this weekend.  Coastal areas of Middlesex and New London Counties are under flood advisories until 6:00 PM on Sunday, and all of Connecticut is under a wind advisory until early Sunday morning.  Stay prepared by following trusted local news networks or other public safety channels, check on neighbors and those in need, and remember that if you approach a flooded roadway, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”

Great news. Fire departments across CT’s Second District are set to receive new “Assistance to Firefighters” Grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Today, I visited the West Stafford Fire Department, which will receive funding to upgrade firefighter breathing apparatuses. Thank you to Stafford First Selectman and Assistant Fire Chief Bill Morrison and Captain Mark Morrison for briefing me, and congratulations to our local fire departments who received AFG awards this week. As a Member of the bipartisan Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I will continue pushing to increase funding for this important program.

On Monday, I visited the CT Energy Marketers Association in Cromwell and met with students training for careers in HVAC. ENTECH graduates 60-80 students every year, with completion of the program leading directly into Connecticut’s apprenticeship system. Training everyone from recent high school graduates to people starting a new career, ENTECH is creating a pathway into the skilled trades and helping build the workforce that Connecticut needs to keep homes and businesses running.

Last week, the Hartford Courant highlighted what our region already knows: submarines built on the Connecticut shoreline are the best in the world.   With the new record-breaking $76.6B Navy contract award for construction of nine Virginia-class and five Columbia-class submarines, eastern CT will continue to play an essential role in our nation's security for decades to come.

Yesterday in Norwich, I stopped by the Explore Manufacturing Expo, part of the CT Manufacturing Careers Roadshow. K-12 students got hands-on manufacturing experience with everything from 3D printing and CNC technology to robotics and virtual reality. Local manufacturing businesses and training programs were present to share the wide-ranging career opportunities available to young people here in eastern CT. Programs like the Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative and Youth Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative are building the skilled workforce our region needs.

At Stonington High School on Tuesday, I visited students and faculty in the school’s construction trades pre-apprenticeship program, which connects students to homebuilding careers after graduation. The curriculum for the program was designed in collaboration with the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of CT to provide students with skills in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and more in-demand trade disciplines. The equipment that students use is funded through the U.S. Dep. of Education’s Perkins grant program. As a Member of the Education and Workforce Committee, I’m fighting for more Perkins grant support and against the Trump Administration’s attempt to abolish the Dep. of Education, which puts this support at risk.

Yesterday, I visited Rose City School, Norwich Public Schools’ therapeutic day school, to hear how its educators and support professionals are providing individualized academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and therapeutic support for students.  Rose City is a great example of meeting students where they are while helping them thrive in their own communities. This will improve educational attainment and cost savings for Norwich at the same time. Congress should be doing its part by meeting its longstanding commitment to fund IDEA and support the schools serving students with disabilities.

We know data centers drive up energy costs and put a strain on water supply. H.R. 10448, which removes data centers’ eligibility for bonus depreciation tax incentives and Opportunity Zone tax benefits, is an obvious way to slow down overdevelopment. I’m proud to be a cosponsor of this commonsense bill.

In 2026, when EB is hiring 8,000 new workers and more coming in the future years, we are seeing a real shift back towards the skilled trades. High schools across our region—not just trade schools either—are installing welding labs, plasma tables, all of the equipment needed to give kids an opportunity to skill up for quality careers here in eastern CT.

We need to double down on our skills training pipelines. Yesterday, I joined the Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board to mark 10 years of the Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative. EWIB released a detailed economic report that confirms that the pipeline has made eastern Connecticut the highest region of employment growth in Connecticut from 2020-2025- by 33%. Since the program launched, over 6,400 trainees have been placed into jobs at over 670 employers. The Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative is still expanding, and with the historic demand signal for submarine construction from the recently awarded $76.6 billion Navy contracts, I will continue to secure funding so the program reach even more young people and adult jobseekers in our region.

Everything about the Qatari-gifted Air Force One has been problematic. What’s clear is that U.S. taxpayers have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into retrofitting this plane. I’ve introduced a bill to ensure the plane remains the property of the U.S. government after President Trump leaves office – not a private jet or a museum trophy.

10 years after eastern CT’s Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative launched with a $6M grant from the U.S. Dep. of Labor, it has become our nation’s role model for revitalizing the skilled trades. New economic data confirms that the program has driven 33% higher employment growth in eastern CT compared to the rest of the state. That’s meeting the needs of local employers and creating high-quality career opportunities for young people and adult jobseekers.

I am wishing a meaningful day of reflection and renewal to all those observing Yom Kippur in eastern Connecticut.

May this Day of Atonement bring peace in the year ahead. G’mar Chatimah Tovah.

It was an honor to join veterans and advocates at Connecticut’s 2026 Veterans Stand Down in Norwich on Friday. This annual event helps connect veterans with health care, housing, employment, and other important resources. The turnout at Easterseals “Rally Point” facility was huge, and my office’s Veteran Caseworker Manny Meneses (U.S. Navy, Retired) was busy helping all the veteran services organizations and VA enrollment workers making sure up to date information from Washington was available.

Thank you to the American Nurses Association for continuing to push Congress to protect health care workers.   On Thursday, I joined the American Nurses Association for their “Protecting Those Who Care” event on Capitol Hill. My bipartisan bill, the Workplace Violence Prevention Act for Health Care and Social Workers Act, would put into law proven tactics to curb workplace violence in health care settings nationwide. There is no excuse for not getting this bill passed and signed into law. It will save lives.

This week, the House passed @RepJohnLarson and my bill, the Casualty Loss Deduction Restoration Act, which would provide long-overdue relief to Connecticut homeowners impacted by crumbling foundations.  Our bill would allow homeowners impacted by crumbling foundations due to pyrrhotite to claim the casualty loss deduction for repair costs and allow homeowners to retroactively claim the deduction starting in 2021. Passage was only possible because of John Larson’s work and leadership on the Ways and Means Committee. The Senate must now act to take up and pass this bill.

Happy 79th birthday to the U.S. Air Force! Since its founding in 1947, U.S. Airmen have bravely defended our skies, and Connecticut aerospace manufacturers have proudly supported their mission. Thank you to all who have worn the Air Force uniform and to the families who serve alongside them.