In the News
Timothy J. Moynihan was a Democratic Party power broker, an influential state lawmaker from East Hartford and a confidante of former Gov. William A. O'Neill.
But Moynihan, who was 78 and died over the weekend, might best be remembered as the longtime leader of the region's chamber of commerce. In that role, he helped lay the groundwork for several initiatives in Hartford, including more housing downtown, increased office occupancy and the city's reconnection with the riverfront.
President Donald Trump has publicly vowed to protect Social Security.
Yet advocates for the program fear that his just released budget proposal would hit individuals hard when it comes to disability benefits, as it includes cuts to the tune of $71 billion, according to one congressional estimate.
"This budget is a non-starter," said Congressman John Larson, D-Conn., who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee.
U.S. Rep. John B. Larson criticized President Donald Trump's budget for proposing cuts in Social Security of $71 billion.
"Last week President Trump said he was going to protect Social Security. This week, he released his budget which includes $71 billion in cuts to Social Security,'' Larson said in a statement. "This budget in a non-starter. His proposed cuts to Social Security, Medicare, food-assistance programs, and more will only hurt those who are already struggling. The President should live up to his promise, instead of breaking it."
MANCHESTER — Three juniors from Howell Cheney Technical School have broken a glass ceiling by becoming the first all-female group to win the 1st District Congressional App Challenge.
Jalah Edison, 16, of Vernon, Rocio Rivera, 16, of East Hartford, and Jazzlin Grisby, 16, also of East Hartford, were recognized by U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, at a ceremony at their school. Larson presented the girls with certificates of special congressional recognition for designing the app "School of Math."
As President Trump mingled with political and economic elites this week in Davos, Switzerland, he was asked whether cuts to Social Security would ever be on his agenda. "At some point they will be," he said—an answer that I am sure has Republican strategists cringing.
Washington – Connecticut's members of the U.S. House, all Democrats, were unanimous in their support for a resolution approved Thursday that aims to limit President Donald Trump's ability to wage war with Iran.
Washington – The U.S. House on Thursday approved a bill that would scrap for two years a $10,000 cap on the federal deductibility of state and local taxes, a limitation decried by taxpayers in wealthy states like Connecticut who have been hurt by the shrinking of the valuable tax break.
The House voted 218-206 to eliminate the state and local tax, or SALT, cap for 2020 and 2021, and increased the cap to $20,000 for married couples in 2019.
Members of Connecticut's Congressional delegation have moved closer to securing $1.5 million in federal funding to study how pyrrhotite effects concrete foundations in the state.
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and Reps. Joe Courtney and John Larson in a joint statement Monday announced that funding they sought to conduct research on Connecticut's crumbling foundations crisis has been included in the final version of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020.
Washington – The U.S. House on Friday approved an ambitious bill that would dramatically lower the cost of popular drugs, like insulin and other commonly prescribed medications, for Medicare patients and other Americans.
All Connecticut House members voted for the bill, and three of them — Reps. John Larson, D-1st District, Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and Jahana Hayes, D-5th District — were original co-sponsors.
A new proposal in Congress aims to resurrect an old tradition: mailing Social Security statements to your home.
Since 2011, the Social Security Administration has cut back on the number of paper statements it puts in the mail in order to save money.
A new bill, called the Know Your Social Security Act, aims to reinstate those statements for all workers ages 25 and up.