Column | ‘Connecticut’s Budget Priorities: Fiscal Responsibility or Political Convenience?’ (April 2025)

Special education funding is a critical necessity for Connecticut’s municipalities, ensuring that towns can support students without overburdening local taxpayers. Unfortunately, instead of properly funding towns, the Democratic majority has once again relied on budgetary gimmicks—not to improve education, but to circumvent their own fiscal rules.

For years, Democratic leadership has put Connecticut’s municipalities at the bottom of the priority list. Their spending formula is clear: state employees and their benefits come first, then the massive entitlement bureaucracy that supports them., Only after that do they consider municipal aid. The result is skyrocketing property taxes as towns are forced to make up for the state’s shortfalls.

I have always prioritized municipal aid because funding towns properly reduces the pressure to raise property taxes, something Connecticut desperately needs. That’s why I supported the original $40 million special-education funding bill when it passed unanimously earlier this year. Then, Governor Lamont inexplicably vetoed it. Normally, this would lead to an easy override vote. Instead, Democrats saw an opportunity to sidestep their own spending caps and funneled the same $40 million into an off-the-books account using “emergency certification”—a process that bypasses public hearings and committee review, leaving taxpayers in the dark.

There was no reason to avoid a transparent process other than to evade Connecticut’s bipartisan fiscal guardrails—rules designed to protect taxpayers from reckless spending. These same Democrats had unanimously supported these budget guardrails (also known as spending caps) in early 2023 at the urging of legislative Republicans. Governor Lamont himself recently called them “sacrosanct.” However, when following them became inconvenient, they chose to ignore them.

If their goal had been to truly help students, they would have had a better option. Republicans responded to this maneuver by proposing an amendment to more than double the funding—offering $92.2 million for special education within the budget guardrails. Every Democrat voted that amendment down—making it less about funding schools and more about bending financial rules to fit their agenda.

At the same time, Democrats approved another bill that funnels $3 million to politically connected advocacy groups, including organizations focused on illegal immigration and gender-affirming care. Among the recipients were: Planned Parenthood, which received $800,000 despite having over $2.5 billion in assets; Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective, which received $387,500; New Haven Gay and Lesbian Community Center, which received $225,000; Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, which received $225,000; Junta for Progressive Action, which received $62,500; and Anchor Health Initiative, which received $62,500. These organizations were hand-picked with no public vetting and there will be nearly zero oversight on how these taxpayer dollars are spent.

Meanwhile, Connecticut families struggle with affordability. Electric rates remain artificially high due to the public benefits charge, which Republicans are fighting to remove. Property taxes are among the highest in the nation, yet towns are forced to beg for funding while millions go to well-connected special interest groups.

To put this in perspective, I offered an amendment redirecting this $3 million toward Meals on Wheels for seniors and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program—funding that would help those most in need. Democrats voted it down on party lines.

What happened in the legislature weeks ago wasn’t just fiscal irresponsibility; it was a blatant display of misplaced priorities.

Special education funding should be managed transparently and responsibly. Instead, Democrats exploited it to undermine Connecticut’s hard-fought budget stability while simultaneously directing taxpayer money to ideological groups with no accountability.

If we want a government that serves the people, we must hold lawmakers accountable for following the budget rules they themselves voted into law. We need to properly fund municipal aid to reduce property tax burdens. We must stop politically motivated spending and focus on real affordability solutions.

I will continue fighting for responsible budgeting, protecting taxpayers, and demanding transparency. If the majority refuses to put Connecticut residents first, then it is up to the public to demand better.