As Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, I work with my colleagues to deliver on Congress’ Article I, Section 8 constitutional duty to “provide and maintain a Navy.” July’s record-breaking $76.6 billion Navy contract awards to Electric Boat have locked in decades of submarine construction at the Groton shipyard and work for manufacturers across Connecticut’s Second District.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, included in the 2022 PACT Act, created a legal path for toxic water victims to receive long-overdue justice and compensation for their suffering. These rights for U.S. Marines and their families are not subject to the whims of a desperate politician who was not President when the PACT Act passed.

Investing in early childhood education helps children enter kindergarten prepared to learn. Since 2001, KITE has connected Enfield families with local resources that support quality early childhood education. In celebration of 25 years of operation, I attended KITE’s annual meeting. My longtime staffer, Senior Constituent Services Specialist Karen Weseliza, a KITE co-founder, was recognized for her years of work to support Enfield families.

Rising food costs and cuts to food assistance under the “Big Beautiful Bill” are hurting families and straining food pantries. Last week, I visited the Cornerstone Foundation in Rockville to hear an update on their food services. As costs continue to rise, cutting off food assistance is a cruel policy that will make the crisis worse.

President Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1) cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid to bankroll tax breaks for the top 1%. Now, starting on January 1st, the Trump Administration is requiring patients with cancer and other debilitating diseases to document that their illness impairs their ability to work or risk losing their health care coverage. In Norwich, I joined CT’s Attorney General Tong, CT Dep. of Social Services Commissioner Barton Reeves, and patient advocates to share information on what’s coming under these health care cuts and to push back against the Trump Administration’s cruel and restrictive regulations.

On Saturday, I had the honor of joining the “welcome home” ceremony for roughly 500 soldiers in the CT National Guard’s 102nd Infantry Battalion following their nine-month deployment to the Middle East from October 2025 to August 2026. When the 102nd Infantry Battalion was deployed in October 2025, the mission of U.S. Central Command in the Middle East was experiencing a moment of relative calm. However, starting on February 28th, the region became an active war zone for U.S. troops. Their mission of force protection to make sure that U.S. installations were guarded against one-way drone attacks tested their skill and training to knock down these airborne threats. They performed magnificently, and hundreds of combat-related medals were awarded, including 46 Bronze Stars and six Purple Hearts. These citizen soldiers deserve Connecticut’s highest recognition and gratitude. It was a “welcome home” event with special meaning for these patriots and their families.

As we warned, President Trump is exempting Russia from the Senate sanctions bill less than a month after he signed it into law. The Senate's bill had no accountability mechanism to prevent President Trump from abandoning the Ukrainian people and continue siding with Putin. It’s clear the President only ever cared about the new tariff authorities the bill gives him to unilaterally impose higher costs on American consumers and businesses. The Senate must immediately take up the House-passed Ukraine Support Act, a bill that provides military aid to Ukraine and puts enforceable sanctions on Russia. We cannot allow the President to betray the Ukrainian people and prolong their suffering at the hands of Putin.

Yesterday, one of my staff members in my Enfield district office opened a mailed envelope which contained a suspicious, unknown white substance and a malicious letter. My staff member is okay. Thank you to the Enfield Police Department and EMS, U.S. Capitol Police, the Connecticut State Bomb Squad, and the FBI for their prompt response and ongoing investigation. My Enfield office remains closed until all testing is completed. This is one of many suspicious packages across the country targeting Congressional offices and election officials. U.S. Capitol Police has stated that all reported incidents thus far have been deemed non-threatening. The clear malicious intent behind these mailings, whether to physically harm or cause alarm, will not deter dedicated Congressional staff from serving constituents who rely on their expertise and care for help.

Home heating oil prices are up over 74% compared to this time last year. Connecticut households are feeling the impact as they fill up their tanks.   This week, I visited Norwich heating oil delivery firm Viking Fuel to discuss how their customers are struggling to cope with skyrocketing prices. Viking does great work to provide critical help to low-income consumers.    On Tuesday, after my colleagues and I pushed for more federal assistance for energy costs, Connecticut received an early allotment of $73.5M in home heating assistance. Connecticut residents can apply for energy assistance through the CT Department of Social Services: portal.ct.gov/dss/economic-s…

Eastern CT students interested in attending a U.S. service academy can apply for a nomination through my office. The application deadline is October 30 at 5pm. Please contact my Norwich Office at 860-886-0139 with any questions that you may have about the Nomination Process.

American taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for the construction of Big Tech’s data centers.   I joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Bessent to push back on Meta’s outrageous plans to claim research tax credits to build data centers using technology that already exists.   These credits are intended to encourage American innovation. Using them for the construction of data centers by a billionaire is grotesque.

Tomorrow, October 16th, is the last day to register to vote in Connecticut. Your vote is your voice. Register or confirm your registration using the following links: Register to vote here: myvote.ct.gov/register And verify voter registration here: myvote.ct.gov/lookup

Eastern Connecticut needs more quality affordable homes to meet demand and lower costs.  Yesterday, I sat down with housing advocates, home builders, and realtors to talk about the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan bill that became law this summer. The bill makes long-overdue reforms to clear pathways to new housing construction. Now, Congress must follow through with robust investment that capitalizes on the reforms made by the ROAD to Housing Act.

Last month, the CT Insurance Department officially approved an 11.3% average rate increase in 2027 for state-regulated, individual and small business health care coverage plans. Rx drug costs make up 30% of a Connecticut health care premium dollar. That amount has doubled since 2010. This trend screams out for action.  Congress needs to pass the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act, a bill to empower Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower Rx drug costs not just for Americans 65 and older, but for all Americans on employer-based plans and individual ACA marketplace plans (Access Health CT here in Connecticut).  By lowering drug costs for working-age Americans, Congress would bring down health insurance premiums across the board. It's simple, and it will work. Read more in my op-ed in the Day: theday.com/news/929211/healt…

Happy Birthday to the U.S. Navy! To all Navy sailors and aviators, thank you for serving with honor, courage, and commitment. Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution, clearly states, “Congress shall provide and maintain a Navy” — that power is NOT vested in the President, or the Navy, for that matter. As Ranking Member of the Seapower Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee that passed authority for the largest submarine construction contract in history, I am committed to building and maintaining a fleet for the future.

A special day for the Submarine Capital of the World. On Friday, I joined the Groton community for the groundbreaking of the USS Groton Sail Monument at the Groton Public Library. Electric Boat employees have contributed over 25,000 training hours towards restoring the USS Groton’s sail, rudder, and planes. Thank you to the USS Groton Sail Foundation and everyone helping to build this tribute to Groton’s proud submarine heritage.

Back in 2024, I worked with the Town of Madison to secure $2.5 million in federal Community Project funding for a new emergency operations center at Madison Hose Company No. 1. Yesterday, I joined First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons, Fire Chief Robert Kyttle, Executive Director of Operations for Emergency Management Sam DeBurra, and State Sen. Christine Cohen to mark the opening of the new dedicated space to coordinate emergency response. Thank you to these local leaders for their years of work to make this boost to public safety in Madison happen. The good news doesn’t stop there. The Madison Hose Company No. 1 was also just awarded a new federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant for firefighter turnout gear, another round of federal support for the town’s first responders.

If you’ve been at an event with me this year, you’ve probably seen me holding this submarine construction tonnage chart from the U.S. Navy. It shows that today, in 2026, we are near peak submarine production going back to 1952, and in the coming years, production will ramp up significantly and continue for decades. Through a region-wide skills training movement, eastern CT’s workforce is answering our nation’s call for a next-generation submarine workforce.

To keep up with thousands of new jobs at Electric Boat, I’m working with local leaders to support community infrastructure projects in southeastern CT.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Every survivor deserves safety and support.  If you or someone you know is in need of help, call the National DV Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. It's free and confidential, and it's open 24/7.