Dear Friend, 

It’s Joe Courtney. After another busy week in Congress, I’m back home in eastern Connecticut. Here to share an update on Connecticut’s offshore wind project, new support for local projects in eastern Connecticut, and more. As always, thanks for starting your weekend here with me.

First, on Monday, our nation honors the life and legacy of civil rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Especially in 2026, during a moment of national struggle and division, Dr. King’s legacy serves as a highly relevant roadmap to build a better future. At a time in 2026, when his hallmark legacy- the voting rights act- is hanging by a thread, his words still matter. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we recommit to working for racial equality and social justice, advocating for peace, and defending the right to vote and the right to peaceful assembly.

Revolution Wind Resumes Construction, Again

Good news. On Monday, a U.S. District Court judge, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan, ruled against the Trump Administration’s December 22nd attempt to halt all major offshore wind projects, which was the Administration's second attempt to halt Connecticut’s and Rhode Island’s Revolution Wind project. For the second time in five months, the construction workers at State Pier New London are back to work on the now 87% complete Revolution Wind project, building out a modern energy grid and supplying cheaper energy to 350,000 Connecticut homes.

The best way to lower electricity costs for consumers is to expand our energy supply. As the rest of the world recognizes, wind energy has to be part of that solution. Unfortunately, President Trump’s longstanding obsession against wind power continues to weaken expansion and growth of America's energy capacity. This week, I took to the House floor to fact check some of President Trump's false claims about offshore wind and celebrate the back to work court order.

Secured: Four Community Projects for Eastern Connecticut

Bringing federal dollars back home to eastern Connecticut is a top priority for my office and I. This month, Congress officially passed over $2.6 million in federal funding for four “Community Projects” in eastern Connecticut.

My office and I worked alongside our towns and local non-profits to secure funding for projects to support public safety, economic development, and environmental education for K-12 and college students. All four of these projects are excellent examples of targeted federal funding that will have wide-reaching benefits for our towns. 

Standing Up for a NATO Ally and International Rule of Law

I’m hearing from people in Connecticut’s Second District who are seriously concerned by President Trump’s clear threats against Greenland. A few days ago, President Trump said, “One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.” When asked, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said, “utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option” in regards to acquiring Greenland.

Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a close NATO ally that poses no threat to America's national security. In fact, Greenland and Denmark provide assistance to our nation's national defense.

Last week, I joined NBC CT's Face the Facts to discuss President Trump's threats against Greenland. Watch below.

In 2026, at a time when we need to be strengthening alliances, there is absolutely no reason to be threatening Greenland and Denmark's sovereignty on the basis of national security. As a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I’m working to reassert Congress’ authority over military actions abroad.

I’m an original cosponsor of a bipartisan bill to explicitly prohibit the use of any federal funding to invade a NATO country or territory, including Greenland.

There is no question that the Arctic North is now a contested region by Russia and China. Along with NATO allies like Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, we have a strong NATO network to protect freedom of navigation and critical undersea communications. In the case of Greenland, the United States has a long-standing military presence there going back to World War II. Today, the U.S. Space Force’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland plays a critical role in U.S. missile defense.

Since World War II and the Cold War, Denmark and Greenland have welcomed our military presence and the Kingdom of Denmark has made it clear it would welcome expanded presence today as tensions escalate with Russia and China. A 1951 treaty allows the U.S. to build new military bases in Greenland with Denmark's permission.

As Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, I’ve seen first-hand how working with allies, especially in the North Atlantic undersea domain, is critical to deterring threats and maintaining peace and security.

We should be strengthening coordination with our NATO allies, not threatening military action against them.

Pressing for AI Accountability Amid an Avalanche of Child Exploitation Reports

In the past two years, there has been an explosion of reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) of child exploitation related to generative AI. In the first six months of 2024 compared to the first six months of 2025, reports rose from 6,835 to 440,419.

There is a clear social cost to Artificial Intelligence (AI), and we as a society need to figure out who pays. This week, in a hearing on AI in the House Education and Workforce Committee, I called for AI industry accountability for this horrific avalanche of child exploitation reports. There is a direct connection between AI scaling rapidly and the rise of its negative fallout.

In 2024, my bill, the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act, was signed into law. This bill renewed the Missing Children’s Assistance Act and made critical updates to help NCMEC better respond to crimes affecting children and prevent exploitation and victimization. I will continue fighting in Congress to support NCMEC’s critical work for American families.

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

OFFICE LOCATIONS