{"id":46912,"date":"2025-07-07T20:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T20:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/46912\/"},"modified":"2025-07-07T20:56:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T20:56:13","slug":"ct-officials-slam-federal-budget-for-deep-cuts-to-health-care-snap-safety-net-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/46912\/","title":{"rendered":"CT Officials Slam Federal Budget For Deep Cuts To Health Care, SNAP, Safety Net Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" alt=\"Man in blue shirt speaks into microphones\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-271671\" data-id=\"271671\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ned-lamont-kc-20250707-1200x900-1.jpg\"  \/>Gov. Ned Lamont calls the recently-signed federal budget bill \u201creckless and mean-spirited\u201d and said national lawmakers were engaging in fiscal hypocrisy during a news conference at the Charter Oak Health Center in Hartford on Monday, July 7, 2025. Credit: Karla Ciaglo \/ CTNewsJunkie<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" alt=\"Man in gray suit speaking into microphones\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-271672\" data-id=\"271672\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/richard-blumenthal-kc-20250707-1200x900-1.jpg\"  \/>US Sen. Richard Blumenthal discusses the federal budget cuts during a news conference at the Charter Oak Health Center in Hartford on Monday, July 7, 2025. Credit: Karla Ciaglo \/ CTNewsJunkie<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" alt=\"Man in dark blue suit speaks into microphones\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-271670\" data-id=\"271670\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/john-larson-kc-20250707-1200x900-1.jpg\"  \/>US Rep. John Larson says Americans are being lied to by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans regarding the federal budget bill during a news conference at the Charter Oak Health Center in Hartford on Monday, July 7, 2025. Credit: Karla Ciaglo \/ CTNewsJunkie<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" alt=\"Man in white shirt speaks into microphones\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-271674\" data-id=\"271674\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/joe-courtney-kc-20250707-1200x900-1.jpg\"  \/>US Rep. Joe Courtney discusses the federal budget bill during a news conference at the Charter Oak Health Center in Hartford on Monday, July 7, 2025. Credit: Karla Ciaglo \/ CTNEwsJunkie<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" alt=\"Woman in blue dress speaking into microphone\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-271673\" data-id=\"271673\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/susan-bysiewicz-kc-20250707-1200x900-1.jpg\"  \/>Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz discusses the impact of the federal budget on Connecticut during a news conference at the Charter Oak Health Center in Hartford on Monday, July 7, 2025. Credit: Karla Ciaglo \/ CTNewsJunkie<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" alt=\"Woman speaks into microphones\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-271669\" data-id=\"271669\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/andrea-barton-reeves-kc-20250707-1200x900-1.jpg\"  \/>Social Services Commissioner Andrew Barton-Reeves discusses the impact of the federal budget on Connecticut during a news conference at the Charter Oak Health Center in Hartford on Monday, July 7, 2025. Credit: Karla Ciaglo \/ CTNewsJunkie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"\/><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"\/><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"\/><\/p>\n<p>HARTFORD, CT \u2014 Connecticut officials are warning of widespread harm to health care access, state finances, and working families under the <a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/2025\/07\/04\/trump-budget-bill-passes-congress-connecticut-leaders-warn-of-fallout-for-families-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">newly signed federal budget law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>During a news conference at the federally qualified <a href=\"https:\/\/thecharteroak.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charter Oak Health Center<\/a> in Hartford, they said will slash $13 billion from the state\u2019s Medicaid program over 10 years, shift SNAP administration costs to the state, and trigger automatic Medicare cuts \u2014 all while delivering tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and adding $5 trillion in new federal debt.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Ned Lamont called the federal budget bill \u201creckless and mean-spirited,\u201d and accused national lawmakers of fiscal hypocrisy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo Republican who voted for this bill can ever use the words \u2018fiscal conservative\u2019 with a straight face,\u201d Lamont said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been paying down pension debt. We have an honestly balanced budget. They\u2019re not doing that in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lamont warned the law would raise costs across the board and destabilize the very programs families rely on \u2014 including home health care, Medicaid, FEMA, and early education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a nightmare having come to pass,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s our seniors, our kids, and working families who will pay the price.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lamont also called for Connecticut Republicans to clarify where they stood on the federal budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora disagreed with Democrats\u2019 assessment of the bill and called it a step toward a smaller, more affordable government, saying it \u201cdelivers real relief to working families.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>No Republican who voted for this bill can ever use the words \u2018fiscal conservative\u2019 with a straight face. We\u2019ve been paying down pension debt. We have an honestly balanced budget. They\u2019re not doing that in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>gov. ned lamont<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Department of Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves stated that Connecticut currently covers more than 1 million residents through Medicaid, including 300,000 children. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Kaiser Family Foundation<\/a>, 73% of Medicaid recipients in the state are working, and more than 60% of those receiving SNAP already have jobs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not about laziness or sloth,\u201d she said.\u201cThese are people who have families and work two and three jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To help blunt the impact, Barton Reeves said the state has already committed $80 million to its network of federally qualified health centers and is preparing to implement the new six-month Medicaid work-reporting requirement \u2014 a policy she acknowledged will be disruptive even to those fully in compliance.<\/p>\n<p>Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz called the requirement \u201cpunishment by paperwork,\u201d saying it was designed to trip people up in red tape and remove them from coverage. She also condemned the bill\u2019s $350 billion increase in immigration enforcement funding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than many countries spend on their military,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are in a state where ICE is already visiting communities. Now we\u2019re throwing hundreds of billions into enforcement while pulling food and health care away from working families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>SNAP, which serves roughly 355,000 households in Connecticut, will now become a state-administered program \u2014 a significant administrative and fiscal shift.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, emphasized that the financial and political design of the bill is intentional.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of the $5 trillion this adds to the federal deficit, it triggers automatic cuts under the federal PAYGO law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/taxpolicycenter.org\/briefing-book\/what-paygo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PAYGO<\/a>, or \u201cpay-as-you-go,\u201d requires spending offsets for new legislation. When no offsets are provided, automatic cuts are triggered in existing programs. In this case, that includes a projected 4% cut to all Medicare providers, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office \u2014 a move that will impact hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers statewide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn total, the law slices $535 billion out of Medicare,\u201d Courtney said. \u201cOn top of $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts nationally. This bill takes the country backward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Courtney also cited estimates from George Washington University that the bill could result in the loss of 1.4 million jobs nationally, particularly in the healthcare and service sectors. As federal borrowing increases, he warned, the pressure will ripple across the economy.<\/p>\n<p>But the true scope, he said, is being actively obscured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s going to be a race for the truth \u2014 and forces trying to confuse and mislead people about what actually happened with this bill,\u201d Courtney said.<\/p>\n<p>US Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, pointed to misleading claims already circulating via email and social media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople see an email from Social Security saying, \u2018You don\u2019t have to pay taxes anymore,\u2019 and think they\u2019ve been protected. There is nothing in the bill about Social Security,\u201d Larson said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been lied to. And eventually, they\u2019re going to realize what\u2019s going on \u2014 and they\u2019re going to be mad as hell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>US Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the delayed implementation of many provisions \u2014 set to take effect after the 2026 midterm elections \u2014 is no coincidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the worst provisions don\u2019t go into effect until after the 2026 midterm election,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that means we have time. The fiscal year 2026 appropriations process gives us a chance to stop some of this madness before it becomes law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blumenthal described the budget as a \u201cPyrrhic victory\u201d for Republicans, and warned of broader consequences:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the biggest transfer of wealth from poor to rich in the history of America,\u201d he said, repeating the statement for emphasis. \u201cAnd make no mistake \u2014 the cost of everything will rise. Food, housing, borrowing. The middle class is being disassembled before our eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added that as debt piles up, rising interest rates will further slow economic growth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it gets harder for businesses to borrow, expand, and manufacture, job growth goes down with it,\u201d Blumenthal said.<\/p>\n<p>State Comptroller Sean Scanlon said the economic impact may not be fully understood yet, but the underlying ideology is familiar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we do know is that history has always shown this trickle-down economics just doesn\u2019t work,\u201d he said, \u201cBut we got your back. We\u2019re not going to let the people of Connecticut fall through the cracks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRELATED<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/2025\/07\/03\/advocates-say-progress-on-opioid-related-deaths-imperiled-by-potential-federal-budget-cuts\/\" rel=\"bookmark noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Connecticut-Drug-Overdose-Fatalities-2012-2024-1200x900-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Advocates Say Federal Budget Cuts Could Reverse Progress On Opioid-Related Deaths\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/2025\/07\/03\/advocates-say-progress-on-opioid-related-deaths-imperiled-by-potential-federal-budget-cuts\/\" rel=\"bookmark noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Advocates Say Federal Budget Cuts Could Reverse Progress On Opioid-Related Deaths<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>HARTFORD, CT \u2014 While overdose-related deaths in Connecticut are on the decline \u2014 the number dropped last year to 982, a 26% reduction from 2023 and the third straight annual decrease \u2014 that progress is under threat, according to many who work to prevent such deaths.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/author\/donald-eng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt=\"Avatar photo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blank.gif\"  class=\"avatar avatar-48 photo\" height=\"48\" width=\"48\"\/><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby <a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/author\/donald-eng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Eng<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJuly 3, 2025, 5:00 amJuly 3, 2025, 12:53 pm\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/2025\/06\/26\/lamont-22-other-governors-urge-congress-to-maintain-food-assistance-program\/\" rel=\"bookmark noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ned-lamont-de-20250623-1200x900-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Lamont, 22 Other Governors Urge Congress To Maintain Food Assistance Program\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/2025\/06\/26\/lamont-22-other-governors-urge-congress-to-maintain-food-assistance-program\/\" rel=\"bookmark noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lamont, 22 Other Governors Urge Congress To Maintain Food Assistance Program<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>HARTFORD, CT \u2014 Governor Ned Lamont is one of 23 state governors that sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which puts food on the table for millions of Americans, and warning that current proposals under consideration in Congress threaten the ability of states to continue\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/author\/donald-eng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt=\"Avatar photo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/blank.gif\"  class=\"avatar avatar-48 photo\" height=\"48\" width=\"48\"\/><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby <a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/author\/donald-eng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Eng<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJune 26, 2025, 2:51 pmJune 26, 2025, 3:39 pm\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/2025\/05\/29\/blumenthal-urges-younger-adults-to-get-cancer-screenings\/\" rel=\"bookmark noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/richard-blumenthal-de-20250502-1200x900-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Blumenthal Urges Younger Adults To Get Cancer Screenings\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/2025\/05\/29\/blumenthal-urges-younger-adults-to-get-cancer-screenings\/\" rel=\"bookmark noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Blumenthal Urges Younger Adults To Get Cancer Screenings<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>HARTFORD, CT \u2014 Citing what they called an \u201cunspeakable tragedy,\u201d health officials were joined by Sen. Richard Blumenthal this week to raise the alarm about increasing rates of cancer for younger Americans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gov. Ned Lamont calls the recently-signed federal budget bill \u201creckless and mean-spirited\u201d and said national lawmakers were engaging&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":46913,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[36358,36359,26865,210,1141,1142,36360,36361,3170,36362,551,36363,36364,6974,4573,36365,10977,67,132,68,36366],"class_list":{"0":"post-46912","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-care","8":"tag-400ptuesday","9":"tag-andrea-barton-reeves","10":"tag-federal-funding","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-health-care","13":"tag-healthcare","14":"tag-joe-courtney","15":"tag-john-larson","16":"tag-medicaid","17":"tag-ned-lamont","18":"tag-push","19":"tag-richard-blumenthal","20":"tag-sean-scanlon","21":"tag-snap","22":"tag-state-budget","23":"tag-susan-bysiewicz","24":"tag-tax-cuts","25":"tag-united-states","26":"tag-unitedstates","27":"tag-us","28":"tag-vincent-candelora"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114813952736779640","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}