Congressman John B. Larson proudly represents Connecticut's First District. Now in his twelfth term, John sits on the influential House Ways and Means Committee—including the Subcommittee on Tax Policy and the Social Security Subcommittee, where he serves as the Chairman. Throughout his time in Congress, John has proven himself a staunch advocate for Connecticut's working families, our manufacturing and small business ecosystem, and commonsense solutions for the problems Americans face everyday.
Born and raised in the federal housing project of Mayberry Village in East Hartford, John is fond of saying he is the product of public housing, public education, and public service. His father, Raymond, worked for Pratt & Whitney, while his mother, Pauline, served on the Town Council. John graduated from East Hartford High School in 1967 and from Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in 1971.
Manufacturing is part of our DNA in Connecticut. From the time of Sam and Elizabeth Colt—who developed a community around manufacturing and an apprenticeship program that would eventually spawn the typewriter, the automobile and ultimately the jet engine—Connecticut has been on the forefront of innovation, technology and advanced manufacturing.
From East Hartford to Barkhamsted, the First Congressional District is proud to boast some of the world's leading manufacturers that employee thousands of residents while also helping to drive our economy. While these industries are here to stay, it is crucial to our economy that they continue employing Connecticut residents.
Today, there are thousands of unfilled manufacturing jobs across the state, a number expected to rise as a generation exits the workforce. Rep. Larson is working to bring our manufacturers, government and academia together to develop new ways to ensure Connecticut has the workforce of the future. As part of that effort, Rep. Larson announced a new partnership between Goodwin College, local manufacturers, and government that will help our newest generation of manufacturers and machinists enter these successful industries.
Manufacturers and machinists are the foundation of some of the biggest industries in Connecticut. Rep. Larson is committed to supporting our manufacturers and the jobs that come, not only from the manufacturers, but also the service jobs that they create.