Sen. Somers & Sen. Harding Statement on Democrats’ Appropriations Budget Bill

Sen. Heather Somers, Ranking Senator on the Appropriations Committee, and Sen. Stephen Harding issued the following statement regarding the Democrats’ Appropriations Committee budget bill.

“Majority Democrat legislators at the State Capitol want to raise your taxes.

That’s their message to Connecticut. They think you don’t pay enough in taxes.

Gov. Lamont notes how this budget is not sustainable and will lead to future tax hikes. Because that’s exactly what this financially illegitimate budget will deliver. Republicans were not invited into the room for its creation, and that’s a shame.

It’s more than $100 million over the spending cap, so kiss the smart bipartisan fiscal guardrails goodbye.

It under accounts for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of expenses that we know we are going to have to pay for in the future. It provides significant earmarks for specific districts.

That’s the type of budgeting that got Connecticut into the ‘permanent fiscal crisis’ more than a decade ago that brought us the two largest tax hikes in Connecticut history.

Republicans will continue the fight to prevent more tax hikes. We will work with moderate Democrats, who also oppose tax hikes.

The people of Connecticut are already at the end of their rope with high housing and electricity costs in addition to high taxes. They need relief.”