Lt. Gov. describes impact of federal funding cuts

The first 100 days of the Donald Trump administration could be described as marked by three “Cs” standing for “chaos, confusion and cruelty,” Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said in remarks to the New Canaan DTC’s May meeting via Zoom.

Already, some $500 million in funding is slated to be cut supporting a range of services for state food banks, kindergarten through high school programs, Planned Parenthood and $150 million alone for public health services. Some one-third of the state’s population gets medical services through Medicaid, also being targeted for cuts, she said.

 “We had an economy that was working for everyone,” Bysiewicz said. “Now it is working for tech billionaires. The stock market is in turmoil, be markets wants predictability, steady leadership, but we’re getting the opposite.”

 The cuts to Connecticut’s federal support are an assault on families. While the state budget currently is operating with a surplus and has $4 billion in its rainy day fund, having to address the cuts on an ongoing basis would not be sustainable, she explained.