Legislative Session Urged to Address Federal Spending Cuts

Advocates for low-income families in Connecticut said state lawmakers need to address federal spending cuts in a special session this fall.

Hundreds of thousands of residents are expected to lose benefits from HUSKY Health and SNAP following passage of the Republican budget megabill, which made significant reductions to public safety net programs.

Melvin Medina, vice president of advocacy and external affairs for The Connecticut Project, said it is time to draw upon the state’s more than $4 billion “Rainy Day Fund.”

"It is very clear that under this federal administration, working families are under attack," Medina contended. "The state should do everything in its power and resources to protect working families in Connecticut."

He suggested the state can also rely on its roughly $2 billion budget surplus to protect working families and bolster the economy. Backers of the federal budget bill said changes were needed to trim federal spending and extend tax cuts from 2017.

State lawmakers got a jump on federal program reductions earlier this year when they created an emergency relief account in the state budget. Though originally intended for public health expenses, supporters said surplus funds could help counter losses to education and nutritional programs, too.

Medina stressed there is no time to wait.

"That account should be broad enough to manage challenges and budget shortfalls across Medicaid, SNAP, Head Start," Medina outlined. "In our view, the state has the resources."

Federal funding delays to Head Start could be offset by the state’s new Early Childhood Education Endowment but Medina cautioned ensuring universal coverage will require more than the state’s initial $300 million investment. He emphasized Connecticut can be fiscally responsible and take care of working families but lawmakers will need to be flexible with the state’s spending rules.

This story written and reported by Kathryn Carley of the Connecticut News Service, a statewide news service for Connecticut.