BLUMENTHAL: Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined fellow Democratic senators John Kerry and Jeff Merkley to speak in support of the Affordable Care Act –colloquially known as Obamacare for both sides. The Supreme Court is deciding whether the mandate is constitutional.
"For the court to strike down this law would be to presume the powers of the Congress and abandon its role as an impartial and deliberate decider of constitutional law," Blumenthal said, according to CNN.
***
LIEBERMAN: Sen. Joseph Lieberman met with the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut and tweeted, “The mottos of our Marines and Coast Guard also apply to our #firefighters: Always ready & always faithful. #SemperParatus #SemperFi.”
***
DELAURO: On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), a member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, spoke about the Department of Labor’s 2013 budget. She decried Republican policies toward the department.
“Unfortunately, we may be going backward rather than forward,” she said in a prepared statement. “As a result of the majority’s policies, Labor Department employment and training programs have already been cut $664 million since FY 2010. For those who imagine that federal programs just grow every year, these critical job training programs may provide a useful dose of reality, since the trend has been generally downward over the past decade.
***
HIMES: Jim Himes (CT-4) was one of 41 legislators moving to tone down part of the financial regulations imposed by Dodd-Frank Act. According to Bloomberg, U.S. banks believe a regulation on derivatives would give the advantage to foreign banks. Himes co-sponsored a bill to change that.
“This bill seeks to do something very, very narrow,” Himes told Bloomberg. “The notion that this is creating an unregulated environment for anybody is flat-out wrong.”
***
MURPHY: U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (CT-5) is in campaign mode on Twitter. The U.S. Senate hopeful thanks the Democratic town committees in North Haven and Old Saybrook for endorsements.
“Eye on the Beltway” is a new feature on your local Patch that looks each day at the activities of elected officials in our nation’s capitol from your town and other parts of southwestern Connecticut.
Those officials are:
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
- Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)
- Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), a Democrat representing Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Branford, Derby, Durham, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, Naugatuck, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Prospect, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven and Woodbridge.
- Rep. Jim Himes (CT-4), a Democrat representing Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, Shelton (part), Stamford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton.
- Rep. Chris Murphy (CT-5), a Democrat representing Avon, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Burlington, Canaan, Canton, Cheshire, Cornwall, Danbury, Farmington, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Meriden, Middlebury, Morris, New Britain, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plainville, Plymouth, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Sherman, Simsbury, Southbury, Thomaston, Torrington (part), Warren, Washington, Waterbury (part), Watertown, Wolcott and Woodbury.
