Groton ― When Congress passed a stop-gap measure Saturday to avert a government shutdown, it included $621 million to continue construction of the USS Wisconsin (SSBN-827) a Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine being built at Electric Boat, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, noted Monday.

“A government shutdown would have had catastrophic consequences on families across the nation and halted progress on construction of the Columbia-class submarine,” Courtney said in a statement. “This would have debilitated our aggressive efforts to replace the retiring Ohio-class submarines with the Columbia-class on schedule and meet the Navy’s fleet requirements.”

The USS Wisconsin is the second Columbia-class submarine. The first, the USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826) has been under construction at EB since 2020.

On Saturday, after joining the House vote to pass the stop-gap measure, which will sustain government spending for 45 days, Courtney said the legislation will “deliver the services Americans rely on.”

“In eastern Connecticut, it will also ensure that roughly 9,000 sailors and officers at the Groton submarine base will not have their pay disrupted, as well the Coast Guard Academy staff in New London,” he said. “Their important work will continue uninterrupted.”