HARTFORD — With the U.S. Senate returning next week after a summer break, Connecticut’s two senators said Thursday they will be fighting to extend the $600-per-week federal unemployment benefit enacted during the pandemic as well as obtaining more money for the state and local towns. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy will be... Read More about Blumenthal, Murphy push to extend $600 federal unemployment payments; Gov. Lamont says state needs more aid for hospitals, schools and towns

WASHINGTON – A group of 13 Senate Democrats has filed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prohibit Israel from using US security assistance funds for the annexation of parts of the West Bank. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) spearheaded the amendment. He was joined by Senators Elizabeth... Read More about 13 Senate Democrats: US assistance shouldn’t be used for annexation

Sen. Chris Murphy accused President Donald Trump of undermining his own experts after members of the federal coronavirus task force offered a dire forecast for national infection rates on Tuesday. The option of reopening safely while following prevention guidelines is "why it's so impossible for us to watch the experts who testified... Read More about Democratic senator says Trump is undermining his experts: 'It's almost as if we have two different federal governments'

Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both Democrats, on Monday called on Subway CEO John Chidsey to ban the open carry of firearms in all Subway restaurants in the U.S. The senators wrote a letter to Chidsey, pointing to photographs of armed demonstrators protesting stay-at-home restrictions in a... Read More about Connecticut senators call for Subway to ban open carry of firearms

A New Haven state senator joined with one of the state’s U.S. senators Monday to pump Connecticut’s “Juneteenth Agenda” to address police accountability and systemic racism.   State Sen. Gary Winfield and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy did that in a conversation streamed via Facebook Live. They were joined by Hartford State... Read More about Winfield, Murphy Press “Juneteenth” Agenda

As mostly white college athletic directors require their mostly Black football players to return to campus for "voluntary" workouts amid a growing pandemic, we can no longer ignore how both the COVID-19 crisis and the growing movement for civil justice require us to have an urgent conversation about the fundamental inequities in... Read More about U.S. Senator Murphy, Draymond Green: College sports can't return to business as usual

MIDDLETOWN — City and school leaders met virtually with the state’s junior senator Monday to talk about the need for racial justice and desegregation in Middletown schools, and across the nation. Discussions such as these are taking place throughout the country as a result of the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police May 25, and subsequent... Read More about Middletown leaders talk school desegregation, racial justice with Sen. Murphy

Systematic mistreatment of black people by law enforcement underscores the need to desegregate schools.  That's the argument right now from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., one of the foremost champions of school desegregation in Congress. Murphy's legislation—the Strength in Diversity Act, which he introduced in 2019 along with Rep. Marcia Fudge,... Read More about School Desegregation Is Crucial at This Moment, Says One U.S. Senator

Prodded by a national uproar over police brutality, lawmakers — including Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy — plan to introduce a series of police reform bills this week. Some of the more ambitious legislation may face pushback by congressional Republicans who also want to take action but prefer a more “hands... Read More about Blumenthal, Murphy join others in Congress proposing policing reforms

Connecticut's two senators want to limit when the president can use the military against protesters. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy say Washington, D.C. has been turned into a war zone. The images of federal troops clearing peaceful protesters ahead of President Donald Trump walking across the street to visit a church outraged Murphy. He... Read More about Murphy, Blumenthal look to limit president's use of military to handle protests

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) last night announced plans for new legislation that will be worth watching closely. The Connecticut Democrat wrote on Twitter: "We cannot tolerate an American secret police. I will be introducing legislation to require uniformed federal officers performing any domestic security duties to clearly identify what... Read More about Dem senator: 'We cannot tolerate an American secret police'

On the Zoom call was Connecticut’s governor, a U.S. senator, a congresswoman, a state’s attorney, a police chief, a mayor, civil rights leaders, clergy and others. Over 90 minutes, everyone agreed: The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis under the knee of an indifferent police officer demands urgent action. But what? By whom? And... Read More about ‘This shouldn’t be normal in 2020 America’ Lamont says not to play into Trump's 'cynical game'

CHESTER — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) chose Whelen Engineering Company, Inc., in Chester as “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Founded in 1952 by George W. Whelen III in his garage in Deep River, Whelen Engineering Company specializes in the manufacturing of warning lights, white illumination lighting, vehicle control... Read More about Murphy highlights Chester manufacturer

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)– Even though portions of Connecticut’s economy reopened last week, food insecurity, meaning people struggling to have enough to eat, continues to be a growing problem. The pandemic has changed the way Meals on Wheels is serving those still at home. “This was happening before the pandemic even... Read More about Hartford community, volunteers help Meals on Wheels serve food to home-bound seniors amid pandemic

With U.S. gun sales soaring during the coronavirus pandemic, a group of 15 Senate Democrats is introducing legislation calling for new restrictions on untraceable “ghost guns.” Made using gun kits or by 3D printing — and sometimes referred to as “80 percent guns” because they haven’t reached a level of... Read More about Senate Democrats push for regulation of ‘ghost guns’

Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday pressed Trump administration officials on when they will release more guidance to help coronavirus-hit states begin to reopen, saying what has been available so far is “criminally vague.” “My state needs it, we don’t have all of the experts that you have,” Murphy said. Robert Redfield,... Read More about Murphy: Reopening guidance from Trump administration ‘criminally vague’

Two Connecticut officials met online with dozens of constituents Thursday to discuss federal efforts to bring COVID-19 under control.In his latest telephone town hall, Sen. Chris Murphy welcomed the leader of Connecticut's 3rd Congressional District to discuss the dawn of recovery.Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro says she's fought for working families... Read More about Congressional districts hold virtual town hall meetings to discuss recovery

On Tuesday, President Trump said he would not allow Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key public health official on the Coronavirus Task Force, to testify before a House committee for political reasons. "The House is a bunch of Trump haters. They frankly want our situation to be unsuccessful, which means death. They want us to fail so they can win an... Read More about Senator Chris Murphy calls Trump comments about Democrats and COVID-19 "disgusting"

STAMFORD, CT — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday announced that the Stamford-based company TECLens has been named "Murphy's Innovator of the Month." According to the announcement, TECLens was founded in 2013 by three partners to provide a non-invasion vision correction alternative to laser surgery and daily-wear contact... Read More about Stamford Company Named 'Innovator Of The Month'

The State Department was warned two years ago of safety concerns at a Wuhan lab doing dangerous research on bat coronaviruses. Now, two Democratic senators want to know if those warnings were ignored — and why, despite these warnings, the Trump administration reduced our government’s health presence in China before the novel... Read More about Senators demand answers from Pompeo on Wuhan lab cables