Sen. Fasano: CT budget “a disaster”; renews special session call

Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) released the following statement regarding Gov. Malloy’s cuts to the state budget:

“When is Connecticut’s Democrat leadership going to step up and do the right thing? This is already a disaster, and we are only three months into the budget year.
What does Gov. Malloy expect to do every month – make painful cuts to social services, to children’s programs and to hospitals? He calls that a strategy?

Our hospitals are laying off workers and failing left and right, yet they will face a major cut? How will that improve services for the sickest among us?

Anyone who cares about children, about health care, and about services for our most vulnerable residents should be shouting from the rooftops. Will they join Republicans in urging Democrats to take their heads out of the sand and call for a special session to deal with this budget?

The legislature should convene in special session next week to address this mess. What are Democrats waiting for? Are we just going to let the governor make 5 % cuts to social services every month like he did last fiscal year?

Meanwhile, General Electric has one foot out the door, Connecticut is one of six nationwide where more businesses move out than move in, and a respected Connecticut economist has noted that in his 35 years as a professional, he can’t recall a time when business confidence was more threatened.

The state budget that Democrats passed this year already caused terrible pain for Connecticut’s disabled and frail residents by cutting funding for social services. We have seen this Democrat movie before, and it had a terrible ending. Now, we have to watch it again?

Time and again, month after month, Republicans urged the governor and legislative Democrats to show fiscal leadership. They ignored us.

Now, they own this budget, and it is a proven failure. This is what happens when you have one-party rule in government, and I hope the taxpayers of Connecticut are as outraged as I am.”