Governor Lamont on Federal Budget

Governor Ned Lamont released the following statement regarding the Republican budget bill that was approved today in Congress:

This bill is going to have devastating impacts on millions of Americans for years to come and was passed for the sole purpose of giving tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires. It will amount to a massive income transfer from the poorest and most vulnerable Americans to the wealthiest. Even the Republicans in Congress were reluctant to vote for it because they know the negative impact that it will have on the public, especially the most vulnerable.

Not only does this plan bankrupt the federal government, but it slashes critical safety net programs, particularly Medicaid and SNAP, that so many hard-working American families need for their health and survival. Even worse, there isn’t a single state in the nation that will have the ability to backfill these massive cuts.

Kicking people off their health insurance, defunding hospitals and nursing homes, and eliminating food and nutrition assistance is going to have a ripple effect throughout the country, causing workers to lose their jobs and premiums to go up. And to top it all off, this bill will saddle our children and grandchildren with trillions in additional debt.

Here in Connecticut, our administration is dedicated to doing what we can do mitigate some of the impact of what this bill will cause, but with a federal administration insistent on eliminating critical safety nets it is going to be nearly impossible for any state to backfill the billions in federal cuts we are going to face.

In the coming days, our administration will be analyzing this bill to determine how it will affect services in Connecticut, as well as its impact on our state’s budget, and we will be meeting with our colleagues in the General Assembly to discuss next steps.

I applaud every member of Connecticut’s delegation for voting against this bill. I urge Connecticut residents and Americans across the nation to continue speaking out against this bill so that Congressional leaders and the Trump administration understand the damaging impact this is going to cause.

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