GOP Legislators Demand Governor, Comptroller Recognize Severity of CT’s Budget Deficit

Hartford – State Senator Len Fasano (R-North Haven), Senate Minority Leader, and State Representative Themis Klarides (R-Derby), House Republican Leader, released the following statement regarding the latest deficit projection from the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA). According to OFA, the current budget deficit has grown to $182.3 million, $92.2 million more than what the partisan governor’s office and Democrat comptroller reported yesterday.

“The comptroller may have full faith in the governor’s analysis, but in light of the OFA report today, how can you not question Malloy’s numbers? How can we not question why our comptroller continues to side with the governor again and again, while our deficit has continued to balloon? This is politics before people.

“While the governor and comptroller are closing their eyes to the full severity of the situation at hand, the only nonpartisan budget office in the state is telling a completely different story. Connecticut’s finances are in trouble. The state deficit is growing faster than the governor can make cuts to the budget. It’s time to put politics aside, recognize the full scope of this problem, and formulate a real solution.”

Fasano and Klarides also renewed their call for bipartisan legislative involvement to address the state’s financial problems. The GOP leaders’ previous requests for meetings were repeatedly denied by legislative majority leaders, citing that the budget deficit was not yet 1 percent of the state budget, the size that would require the governor to involve the legislature and submit a formal deficit mitigation plan for lawmakers to review and approve. OFA’s new deficit estimate exceeds the 1 percent trigger.

“It’s time for the governor, his budget office, nonpartisan budget experts and both Republican and Democrat legislators to meet and seriously review our options. No one person has all the answers and no two people think the same way. So why not tap into all the resources available and be proactive? Our families deserve a state government that works across party lines to do what is best for Connecticut. We remain ready and willing to tackle this problem together with state leaders and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle,” said the Republican leaders.