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Dear Friend,
It’s Joe Courtney. I hope you and your loved ones enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving!
In my travels around the District, the spirit of Thanksgiving was clearly strong and vital. I'm here to share an update on the volunteerism and sharing as well as a major milestone reached by eastern Connecticut submarine builders and lots more from the week. Thank you for starting your weekend here with me.
Helping Provide Thanksgiving Meals
The rising cost of living can be felt particularly hard during the holiday season. Despite some in Washington claiming otherwise, grocery costs have risen again since last year, putting additional strain on family budgets.
On Monday, I visited the amazing volunteer driven Midwest Food Bank in Manchester with Rep. John Larson followed by a visit to Enfield Food Shelf and then Vernon's Hockanum Vally Community Council to hear an update on their efforts to ensure no one went without a Thanksgiving meal this week, as well the rest of the year. Midwest supplies food pantries all across the Second District, including the Danielson Veteran Coffeehouse mobile food pantry which distributes tens of thousands of pounds a month.
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| Midwest Food Bank |
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| Enfield Food Shelf |
In Enfield, I joined the team for a stint passing out turkeys to the community alongside Executive Director Kathleen Souvigney, her staff, and volunteers. In Vernon, David O'Rouke described Hockanum Valley's Thanksgiving effort distributing over 500 turkeys this past week. Enfield Food Shelf, with support from Connecticut Foodshare and Midwest Food Bank, makes a huge difference helping families in need. They make the spirit of Thanksgiving come to life.
A Major Milestone for Columbia-class Submarines
Exciting news. As of this week, all modules of the USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826) are now in Groton for final assembly. This is a major milestone for the lead submarine in the Columbia-class fleet, which weigh 21,000 and are 2.5x the size of Virginia-class submarines.
Submarine tonnage output is near all-time highs. With major investments from Congress, a new generation of eastern Connecticut shipbuilders is rising to meet the nation’s call.
Standing Up for Nurses
Last week, news broke of the Department of Education’s proposal to not classify nursing as a “professional degree” as part of cuts to federal student loans in the misnamed “Big Beautiful Bill”.
Excluding nursing from a list of “professional degrees” limits the amount of financial assistance that graduate-level nursing students can receive. “Non-professional” graduate loans are capped at $100,000 while “professional” graduate loans are capped at $200,000.
On Tuesday, I joined a virtual Q&A with the Connecticut Nurses Association to discuss the impacts of the proposed rule. Cassandra Esposito, CNA President, and Kim Sandor, CNA Executive Director – both APRNS – powerfully laid out both the absurdity and harm that this insulting, out of touch rule will cause to our nation's care givers.
At a time when our country has a severe shortage of nurses, this decision by the Trump Administration will suffocate the entry of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistance into our hospitals, clinics, and health care system. The rule will deny students the opportunity to pursue rewarding careers. It is an insult to every hard working nurse who cares for, heals, and consoles patients every day. The American Nurses Association has gathered 180,000 signatures to a petition to overturn this rule, and more will be added as the word gets out!
Supporting Ukraine
Last weekend, Audrey and I joined Father Ivan Bilyk at mass at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Willimantic. Ukrainian churches conducted an International Day of Prayer for the Ukrainian Nation.
The Ukrainian people have been preyed upon by powerful invaders over the centuries, and today in 2025 their peril is no different. Our country should not be party to pressuring the Ukrainian people to surrender their sovereignty. They have sacrificed more than any other ally to defend their homeland and they deserve the right to be a co-equal party in any negotiations.
Supporting Small Businesses
Small businesses are the cornerstone of our local economy and a huge part of what makes eastern Connecticut towns great places to live. This week, ahead of Small Business Saturday, I joined the U.S. Small Business Administration at Olde Mistick Village in Mystic to encourage support for local shops and restaurants during the holiday season. Then, we visited jewelry store R.A. Georgetti (top right) and gift store Sophia’s Mystical Christmas (bottom right).
Joining Veterans in Willimantic
On Wednesday, I stopped by the regular Willimantic Veterans Coffeehouse. Tim Hawk (USN, Ret.), President of the Coffeehouse, and Christine Guarnieri, Prayer Chaplain, provided a welcoming space for its members, that includes a veterans food pantry that works in conjunction with Connecticut Foodshare.
There is so much more we can do to support veterans, and much of it has bipartisan support. I recently joined Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) for an interview on our bipartisan bill the HOPE Act, which aims to bolster VA work to support veterans suffering from substance use disorder. Leaders in Congress need to put the politics aside and bring bipartisan bills like the HOPE Act up for votes.
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If my office can be of any assistance, do not hesitate to call us at (860) 886-0139.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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