GROTON –Today, after completing a working shift at General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) in Groton, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that EB would be this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.”  Murphy began his shift at EB at 6:30am Monday alongside many of EB’s skilled workers. During his shift, Murphy underwent safety training and then worked with EB’s welders, electricians, and quality control personnel, where he learned about the needs and concerns of Connecticut’s manufacturers, and how he can best advocate for them back in Washington.

As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Murphy works to secure funding for Electric Boat and other Connecticut-based defense manufacturing programs.

“Thanks to both my old and new friends at Electric Boat for hosting me today. I often spend time in meetings and conference rooms talking about funding to keep this place running, but there’s nothing like standing side-by-side with the men and women here at this wonderful shipyard who build and operate the best submarines in the world,” said Murphy.

"I don’t think anyone’s going to be giving me a job as a worker here anytime soon, but I did get a real understanding of the commitment that Electric Boat has made to keep their people on the job happy. There’s a real culture here of prioritizing safety and giving their workers the resources they need to excel. We have a lot of work to do back in Washington, but after today, I feel better equipped than ever before to get Electric Boat the funding it needs to keep Connecticut’s hardworking residents busy, and our brave servicemen and women safe. I’ve known the arguments and the numbers, but now I know firsthand how to be a better, more forceful advocate for Electric Boat and its people,” he added.

EB designs and manufactures nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy. Established in 1899, the Connecticut manufacturer constructed the Navy’s first commissioned undersea warship – the  USS Holland – more than 100 years ago, and has continued to develop first-of-a-kind ships for the Navy ever since. EB is headquartered in Groton, Connecticut, but the company has additional facilities in New London, Connecticut, Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and other parts of the United States. With the help of almost 13,000 employees, EB has completed more than 60 ships in the Virginia, Seawolf, Ohio, and Los Angeles Classes of submarines.

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,602 manufacturers account for 10.2% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.