Against the backdrop of the recent government shutdown and the push for a border wall by President Donald Trump, the State of the Union guest list of Connecticut’s congressional delegation will highlight several major areas of discord between Democrats and Republicans.
Among those invited to Washington, D.C. for Trump’s prime-time speech Tuesday is the head of a nonprofit behavioral health services agency that provides shelter and other services to children separated from their families at the border.
Regina Moller, executive director of Noank Community Support Services, will be the guest of U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., whose office is seeking to draw attention to the impact of the partial government shutdown on agencies like NCSS.
Federal funding to a youth homeless shelter run by the organization was cut off during the 35-day shutdown, according to Murphy’s office.
“I’m so glad she is joining me at the State of the Union to shed light on how President Trump’s border policies are traumatizing a generation of children and how the recent government shutdown affected Connecticut,” Murphy said. “Regina’s organization takes care of child refugees, kids who are feeling the violence and trauma of places like Ecuador and Guatemala and see the United States as a country that can save their lives. These kids aren’t threats to our security, they are our future leaders, and I hope my colleagues will realize this as Regina tells these children’s stories when she comes to Washington,”
Connecticut’s other senator, Richard Blumenthal, is bringing Vietnam veteran Gerry Wright of Andover, who was exposed to Agent Orange during the war and has become a leading advocate for legislation to help veterans sickened by the toxic substances.
The choice of Wright by Blumenthal, a member of the Veterans’ Affairs and Armed Services committees, follows a string of Twitter insults by Trump against the senator over his military service flap.
In 2010, the New York Times reported how Blumenthal had said on multiple occasions during his 20-year tenure as state attorney general that he served in Vietnam.
Blumenthal was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve during the war but remained stateside. He apologized for the mischaracterization, which did little to derail his election to the Senate.
Wright won’t be the only State of the Union guest to wear a military uniform.
Rep. Joe Courtney, who represents eastern Connecticut, is bringing Lieutenant Commander Kimberly Young-McLear, of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
A report released in December by the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General determined that Young-McLear was the target of workplace bullying at the Coast Guard Academy because she is black and a lesbian, according to Courtney’s office.
“It is unacceptable that talented and compassionate individuals like Kimberly are subjected to toxic and hostile work environments while serving their country,” Courtney said. “Moreover, our military service members and civilian employees must have the confidence that when they report workplace bullying and other forms of harassment or discrimination, they will not be subjected to retaliation. I thank Kimberly for her moral courage, integrity, and devotion to duty as a Coast Guardsman.”
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who is in her 15th term, will bring Deirdre Daly, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut from 2013 through 2017 and first woman to the hold the post.
Lane Murdock, a 16-year-old Ridgefield High School student who organized a national walkout last year to protest the inaction of Congress on gun control reform, will be the guest of Rep. Jim Himes.
Rep. John Larson, who is in his 10th term and represents the Hartford region, gave his extra ticket away to a GOP colleague, a spokeswoman said.
This will be the first State of the Union for Jahana Hayes, the former National Teacher of the Year and House freshman who represents the north and western parts of the state.
A spokesman for Hayes did not respond to a request for comment.
Neil Vigdor can be reached at nvigdor@courant.com
