{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/larson-votes-give-troops-pay-raise-support-ukraine-and-nato-allies-and", "Larson Votes to Give Troops a Pay Raise, Support Ukraine and NATO Allies, and Rein in Trump-Hegseth Pentagon Power Grab", "2025-12-10", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "John B. Larson", "L000557", "larson.house.gov", "larson", "https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) voted for the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act, authorizing a pay raise for troops, supporting Ukraine and NATO allies to counter Russian aggression, and repealing the outdated 1991 Gulf War and 2002 Iraq War authorizations.\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s vote was a win for our troops, allies, and Connecticut workers,\u201d said Larson. \u201cWhile Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth tried to engulf the Pentagon in their MAGA culture wars, Democrats worked diligently to deliver for our service members and do right by Connecticut\u2019s hard-working machinists and shipbuilders. Together, our delegation, led by our champion on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Joe Courtney, worked to ensure Connecticut workers continue to build the F135 engine, Blackhawk helicopter, and Columbia and Virginia-class submarines. Whether it is Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, Electric Boat, or the more than one hundred suppliers scattered across our state, our state\u2019s highly skilled workforce will keep powering our armed forces and allies with state-of-the-art equipment for decades to come.\n\n\u201cI am also proud to see the United States Congress take real action to protect our military from this President\u2019s authoritarian abuses of power,\u201d Larson continued. \u201cEven though President Trump continues his threats to turn our backs on our NATO allies and friends in Ukraine, the bill we passed tonight authorizes new security assistance for Ukraine and puts real protections in place to prevent him from reneging on commitments to our allies in Eastern Europe. And after the recent revelations of illegal military strikes in the Caribbean, we are withholding funding from Secretary Hegseth until he turns over the records Congress is demanding about these strikes.\n\n\u201cMore than 20 years since the wrongheaded war in Iraq, we are also taking action to end the outdated resolutions that presidents of both parties have long used to justify unauthorized military campaigns in the Middle East. I voted against the original 2002 Iraq War Resolution and for years, I have pushed to repeal these overly broad authorizations. I was glad to see my colleagues come together to re-assert some of our war powers authorities and I will continue to advocate for aggressive oversight at the Pentagon. While this bill was not perfect, it gives our troops the pay raise they have earned and deserve, makes significant investments in our state\u2019s manufacturing workforce, and takes real steps to rein in President Trump and Secretary Hegseth\u2019s power grabs,\u201d Larson concluded.\n\nThe National Defense Authorization Act:\n\nAuthorizes a 3.8% pay raise for all military personnel\n\nIncludes $3.2 billion for Columbia and Virginia-class Submarines, built at Electric Boat in Groton\n\nFully authorizes the Pentagon to procure new Blackhawk helicopters, built at Sikorsky in Stratford\n\nSupports funding for 47 F-35 fighter jets, powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine\n\nAuthorizes $800 million in security assistance for Ukraine over the next two years\n\nRestricts President Trump from withdrawing military personnel in Eastern Europe or recognizing Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian territories\n\nRepeals the outdated 1991 Gulf War and 2002 Iraq War authorizations, following years of advocacy from Rep. Larson to re-assert Congressional war powers authorities", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/larson-votes-give-troops-pay-raise-support-ukraine-and-nato-allies-and"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0227258317172527, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}