In the News

A proposed fiscal commission to fast-track deficit reduction measures, already under attack from the right, also faces a stepped-up assault from the left.
Rep. John B. Larson, D-Conn., led labor union leaders at a news conference Thursday to protest legislation that would create a bipartisan, bicameral commission that would devise a plan to curb red ink and require Congress to take an up-or-down vote on it with no amendments.

Many retired Americans have struggled with rising prices in recent years. A survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 58% of retired workers worry they will have to make substantial spending cuts due to inflation.

For more than two decades in Washington, D.C., East Hartford Congressman John B. Larson has been harping on the need to protect the Social Security system, or as he likes to say, America’s best insurance policy.
SOUTH WINDSOR — As a teen who loves technology and video games but struggles with procrastination, South Windsor High School senior Ryan Duong found a way to use his passion to solve his problem.
Ryan, 17, created an app called "ClockIn!," a program that allows users to schedule out their tasks.
While there are many apps that have similar functions, what makes his app unique is that "you can only schedule plans for today or tomorrow, so you don't overwhelm yourself," he said.

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congressman John Larson (CT-01) to introduce the ‘Assault Weapon Financing Accountability Act,’ which would ban the use of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) financing for the purchase of assault weapons and the ghost gun kits that are used to build them.
Regardless of their political persuasion, most Americans agree that Social Security should be protected in the face of a looming funding shortfall. That’s not the case in Congress, however.
WASHINGTON – The American Federation of Government Employees is echoing calls from nearly 120 lawmakers for Congress to reject a proposed fiscal commission that would bypass elected leadership and make recommendations to slash vital federal programs and government services.
“A fiscal commission would give a small group of lawmakers and non-elected individuals enormous power to recommend cuts to Social Security and other popular programs without any ability for the public to weigh in,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.

Decrying Republican plans for "ripping away Social Security from seniors behind closed doors" via a so-called fiscal commission, more than half of U.S. House Democrats on Thursday urged congressional leaders to scrap plans to fast-track the controversial panel.
Connecticut will receive federal funding to purchase 50 electric school buses for two school districts as the Biden administration continues rolling out its infrastructure plans.
A Connecticut-based bus company is one of 67 recipients to receive an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition, which aims to improve air quality for students and boost manufacturing. The program’s funding was included in the bipartisan infrastructure law signed in 2021.

In the first few hours of 2024, over 220 U.S. workers will have likely paid all their Social Security taxes for the entire year. In contrast, over 160 million workers will pay all year.