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Rep. Larson Delivering for Connecticut’s First District

Legislation that Delivers for the American Public: 

Working with President Biden and House Democrats, Rep. Larson has worked to deliver historic wins to deliver for Connecticut and the First Congressional District. 

Through the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law alone, the State of Connecticut has or will receive over $9 billion, and towns and municipalities have received $567 million.  

Supporting the F135 

The F135 supports over 27,000 jobs across Connecticut and generates $420 million in economic impact for the First Congressional District alone. Rep. Larson has been a stalwart champion of the F135 for years, helping to win the first fight to secure the Pratt & Whitney F135 as the sole source of propulsion for the F-35 in 2011, and leading the fight again a decade letter to protect and modernize the F135. 

  • A decade after the original engine fight ended, a new effort to replace the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine arose. Congressman Larson is leading the fight against those efforts to replace the F135 with a new Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) engine. His work helped convince the Biden administration to cut wasteful AETP funding from the FY2024 budget and invest in an F135 modernization program known as the Engine Core Upgrade (ECU). 

American Rescue Plan: 

COVID Relief: During the worst ravages of the pandemic, Congressman Larson helped author and pass the American Rescue Plan to put money in people’s pockets, vaccinations in arms, and kids back in school. This is the largest relief bill in our country’s history. Here are just some of the American Rescue Plan provisions that came right to Connecticut: 

  • Stimulus Checks – Provided federal payments of $1,400 to individuals earning $75,000 or less to over one and a half million Connecticut residents. 

  • Affordable Health Care – More than 33,000 households in Connecticut saved over $4.5 million through American Rescue Plan tax credits on the Access Health CT marketplace for health insurance. In the First Congressional District, there was an average annual savings of $1,174 per household.   

  • Tax Cuts for Families - Expanded the Child Tax Credit, providing monthly payments up to $3,600 a child benefiting 77% of children in CT-01 and lifting 7,800 children out of poverty.  

  • Rental Assistance – Created a new federal program paying up to $10,000 in rental assistance to help renters and landlords as well as $125 million to assist homeowners with their mortgages.  

  • Unemployment Benefits - Extended federal unemployment benefit supplemental payments of $300 per week on top of standard state benefit levels to help those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic and made self-employed and gig workers eligible for the first time. 

  • Small Business Relief – Brought home to Connecticut federal funds to help small businesses and restaurants weather the pandemic in the amount of $10 billion in Paycheck Protection Program payments, more than $125 million in Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program grants, and $301 million in Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant payments.    

  • Funding for Schools and Municipalities – In the First Congressional District alone, the Rescue Plan provided $567 million in federal funding directly to the towns to fund critical services such as fire and police and schools so children could return to school safely.  

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: 

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is commonsense legislation to protect America’s children, make schools safer, and reduce the threat of violence across America. It is the first package of gun safety package in decades to become law. 

  • Gun Violence Prevention – Creates incentives for states to adopt red flag laws, closes the boyfriend loophole, increases penalties for straw purchasing, expands the scope of sellers that need to register as a firearms dealer, enhances background checks for people under the age of 21, and funds anti-violence community initiatives. 

  • Mental Health – Supports expansion of the community behavioral health center model, improves access to mental health resources for children in Medicaid and CHIP, increases access to telehealth mental health resources, and expands provider training in mental health, suicide prevention, and crisis and trauma intervention. 

  • School Safety - Supports expansion of mental health and intervention programs in school, funds improvements in school-wide learning conditions and extracurricular activities, and provides funding for school safety programs. 

CHIPS and Science Act: 

The CHIPS and Science Act is a bipartisan investment in American semiconductor components to end the chip shortage, lower costs for families, and create hundreds of thousands of union jobs. 

  • Semiconductor Chips and Wireless Supply Chain – Provides $54.2 billion in incentives and assistance to build, expand, or modernize domestic facilities, workforce, and equipment for semiconductor fabrication, assembly, testing, packaging, research, and development. Also, it provides funds for development of wireless technology. 

  • Research and Innovation – Provides the largest five-year investment in public R&D in US history, builds new technology hubs across the country, and combats illicit foreign theft of US research. 

  • Connecticut has already received $1 million in funding from the CHIPS and Science Act. A collection of Connecticut stakeholders, led by the University of Connecticut and including Yale University, municipalities including Hartford, the state of Connecticut, workforce development agencies, and private sector partners, has been named one of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines. This award will help establish Connecticut as a leader in quantum technologies, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and finance.  

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: 

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the largest investment in infrastructure in our nation’s history. Connecticut is guaranteed $6 billion and has the opportunity to compete for even more funding.  

  • Roads and Bridges – Connecticut is expected to receive $4.1 billion for highways and bridges over the next five years, funding needed to address the state’s 248 bridges and 2,154 miles of highway in poor condition. 

  • Internet Access – At least $100 million will come to Connecticut to increase broadband coverage. Additionally, the bill creates a new Affordable Connectivity Program which cuts internet bills by up to $30 a month for low-income households. Already, over 166,000 families are enrolled in the program. 

  • Safe Drinking Water – Thanks to this bill, Connecticut has received over $75 million for water infrastructure including lead pipe replacement. 

  • Electric Vehicle Charging – In order to build out a national network of electric vehicle chargers, $7.5 billion will be invested nationwide. Connecticut will receive $8 million this year alone. 

  • Public Transit – As part of the largest investment in public transit in our nation’s history, Connecticut will receive over $1.3 billion over five years to improve our transportation network. 

  • Airports – Connecticut will receive a guaranteed $62 million towards the state’s air infrastructure. Additionally, Bradley Airport has been awarded an additional $20 million in competitive funding  to expand their terminal to reduce delays, increase accessibility, and improve energy efficiency and passenger experience. 

  • Resiliency – The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes a historic investment to help our communities become more resilient against the impacts of climate change and cyber attacks. In 2022 alone, Connecticut was awarded $40 million for these activities. 

PACT Act: 

The PACT Act is bipartisan legislation to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to ensure that toxic-exposed veterans will get the support they need from their government and that they have access to the benefits they have earned. Over 2,000 veterans and survivors in Connecticut have seen their PACT Act Claims have been granted. 

  • Healthcare for Post-9/11 Combat Veterans – Extends VA enrollment window from 5 to 10 years, and creates a special one-year open enrollment period. Over 2,300 veterans and survivors in Connecticut have utilized the open enrollment period and are now enrolled in VA health care.   

  • Support for Burn Pit and Toxic Chemical Exposure Conditions – Adds 23 specific conditions that will make veterans and their survivors automatically eligible for benefits, speeding up the process to receive the financial and health care support they are due. 

  • Support for Survivors – Makes it possible for eligible survivors to gain benefits they may have been previously denied from, including monthly compensation, health care, and education benefits. 

  • Improves the VA – Invests in resources to more effectively deliver for veterans, including workforce and infrastructure needs as well as improved training for toxic-exposure care. 

Inflation Reduction Act (Health Care): 

The Inflation Reduction Act is landmark legislation to lower costs for families and seniors while dramatically lowering the federal deficit. 

  • Medicare Drug Negotiation – For the first time ever, Medicare will be empowered and required to negotiate drug prices. In August of 2023, the first ten drugs were selected for negotiation. As many as 123,000 Connecticut residents enrolled in part D used one of the drugs selected for negotiation, with an out-of-pocket average cost as high as $4,659 a year. 

  • More Affordable Health Insurance – Extends the enhanced Affordable Care Act Marketplace subsidies included in the American Rescue Plan through 2025, supporting 65,000 Connecticut residents and saving an average of $220 per month. 

  • Penalizes Prescription Drug Cost Hikes –Requires that drug manufactures pay a rebate to the government if their costs to Medicare recipients rise above inflation, limiting price increases for on the public and private market. 

  • Eliminates Medicare Part D Catastrophic Threshold – Under current law, seniors with Catastrophic coverage under Medicare Part D must pay 5% coinsurance after paying $7,050 Out of Pocket. This coinsurance will be eliminated, benefiting an estimate 16,000 Connecticut seniors. 

  • Eliminates Cost Sharing for Vaccines under Medicare Part D – Eliminated Medicare Part D cost sharing under Medicare Part D. The average vaccine out-of-pocket cost was $47 and could be as high as $100. 

  • Caps Senior Insulin Costs – Medicare recipients have had their insulin costs capped at $35 per month, a 35% average saving for Part D Beneficiaries. Since passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest producers of insulin have dramatically lowered costs for insulin on the private market.  

  • Caps Senior Drug Costs – Adds a $2,000 cap on Medicare Part D spending. Nearly 20,000 Connecticut beneficiaries spend over this amount annually. 

Inflation Reduction Act (Environment): 

The Inflation Reduction Act invests $370 billion in combatting climate change, the largest investment in our nation’s history. With this funding, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by the end of this decade. 

  • Extends and Creates Critical Tax Incentives to Increase Deployment of Clean Energy: Critical tax credits for established and emerging clean energy technologies will lead to greater deployment and lower emissions while driving down energy costs and creating jobs. The legislation includes Rep. Larson’s legislation to support Clean Hydrogen Production, a critical industry for our environment and Connecticut’s manufacturing economy. Thanks to the IRA, $24.5 million has already been invested in Connecticut hydrogen manufacturing - creating jobs for the future of our state. 

  • Overturns Supreme Court Decision Gutting the EPA: Includes language responding to a Supreme Court decision that the EPA did not have the authority to regulate greenhouse gasses without Congress’s explicit consent. This bill does just that, giving the EPA the authority to take necessary actions to address climate emissions.Creates Energy Savings for Consumers: Provides billions of dollars in rebates and tax credits for consumers to take action to lower their energy costs, including for energy efficient appliances, rooftop solar and other residential power generation, and new and used electric vehicles. 

  • Invests in Cleaner Communities – Includes: 

    • $1 billion to make affordable housing more energy efficient, 

    • $3 billion to reconnect divided communities, like Hartford’s 84/91 Interchange, 

    • $3 billion for Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants to invest in projects that address environmental and public health harms, 

    • $1 billion for clean heavy-duty vehicles, like school and transit buses and garbage trucks. 

Butch Lewis Act: 

Due to factors beyond their control, many union members with multiemployer pension plans were at risk of losing their retirement benefits due to their plans going insolvent. The Butch Lewis Act ensures that these retirement benefits are now no longer at risk.  

Addressing the Baby Formula Shortage: 

Rep. Larson has led efforts to address the baby formula shortage by boosting production and lowering costs. 

  • The Formula Act: Signed into law in July 2022, this law temporarily suspends tariffs on imported infant formula through 2022. 

  • The Bulk Formula to Retail Shelves Act: Signed into law in October, this law temporarily suspends tariffs on a key component used to produce formula domestically. 

Funding Priorities for the First District: 

Rep. Larson has worked closely with local leaders to deliver direct funding to key priorities in annual appropriations legislation. These include: 

Combatting Gun Violence:  

Critical Infrastructure:  

Economic and Community Development: 

  • $17,000,000 to Connecticut Center for Advanced Manufacturing to support Connecticut manufacturers and jobseekers.  

  • $3,700,000 for the Hockanum River Linear Park Trail in East Hartford and Manchester.  

  • $1,000,000 to the City of Hartford for Colt Park historic structure rehabilitation. 

  • $1,900,000 for the City of Hartford to improve access to and greenspace at the Connecticut Riverfront at Charter Oak Landing and Riverfront Park. 

  • $750,000 to the Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor.  

  • $2,200,000 for Goodwin University to increase nursing and manufacturing training capacity. 

  • $4,600,000 for the to purchase the former Downtown Post Office and expand Raymond Library. 

  • $750,000 for the Church Corner Rehabilitation project in East Hartford. 

Combatting Food Insecurity:  

  • $250,000 for Connecticut Food Bank to combat food insecurity in Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood.  

Civic and Financial Education:  

  • $200,000 to the Connecticut Historical Society for history civic education initiatives.  

  • $650,000 to the Hispanic Federation to conduct financial literacy trainings. 

Protecting and Enhancing Social Security: 

Representative Larson serves as ranking member of the Social Security Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee. As ranking member, he is the recognized champion in the House fighting to protect and enhance Social Security as an earned benefit that each and every worker pays for in their paychecks. He is the author of the leading Social Security bill in the House, the Social Security 2100 Act, to provide additional benefits for current and future beneficiaries. You can read more about this legislation here.   

In addition to the comprehensive Social Security 2100 Act, Rep. Larson is also: 

  • Fighting against Social Security benefit garnishment for student loans. 

  • Pushing to eliminate the disability insurance benefits waiting period for people with disabilities. 

  • Helping victims of Social Security identity theft by providing them with a single point of contact. 

Click here to see work from 2021. 

To see what federal dollars and resources Rep. Larson has brought to Connecticut’s capital city, Hartford, click here. 

See what federal dollars Rep. Larson brought to these CT-01 towns: 

- Barkhamsted

- Berlin

- Bloomfield

- Bristol

- Colebrook

- Cromwell

- East Granby

- East Hartford

- East Windsor

- Glastonbury

- Granby

- Hartland

- Manchester

- Middletown

- New Hartford

- Newington 

- Portland

- Rocky Hill

- South Windsor

- Southington

- Torrington 

- West Hartford

- Wethersfield

- Windsor

- Windsor Locks

- Winsted