Politics & Government

North Branford Eye on the Beltway: Murphy on Obama's Afghanistan Speech

And DeLauro commends the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's latest announcement.

BLUMENTHAL: The senator made an appearance at a Mobil gas station in New London on Wednesday for an informal press briefing, according to The Day, and spoke about how high gas prices are hurting station owners. “You’re hit as hard or harder than the consumer,” he said.

LIEBERMAN: A group of senators, including Lieberman, sent a letter this week to the head of the U.S. Postal Service to request a delay in shuttering post offices and mail process facilities, which are due to being on May 15, until after the postal reform bill is passed, according to Government Executive.

"We believe an attempt to proceed with the planned closures — to ‘get in under the wire’ while legislation is being considered — would be counterproductive and would violate the clear intent of the Senate," the letter stated.

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HIMES: The congressman will be hosting an interactive workshop on Saturday, May 5 at in Fairfield at 12:30 p.m. for people to share ideas about how to cut the national deficit. RSVP by calling the Himes’ Bridgeport office at 866-453-0028.

DELAURO: The congresswoman released a statement on Wednesday in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's plans to track contaminated ground beef to its source as soon as a preliminary test detects E. Coli.

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“Today’s announcement is a step forward in better protecting consumers from foodborne illnesses," DeLauro said. "Improved methods of tracing potentially contaminated foods have the transformative potential to identify them earlier and quicker, perhaps even before they reach consumers. And I am encouraged that the agency is implementing three provisions intended to make the recall process more effective at protecting public health. Together, these improvements may prevent unnecessary risks to consumers.”

MURPHY: The congressman posted his thoughts on President Obama's speech in Afghanistan on his Facebook page Wednesday morning:

"Like the President, I commend the men and women of the US Armed Forces for the progress they've made in Afghanistan, at great personal sacrifice to themselves and their families. I believe it is now time for Afghans to lead the fight, and for our nation to focus on recovery at home. We need to speed up the transition to full Afghan responsibility and bring our troops home as soon as is safely possible."


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