HARTFORD — Super-majority Democrats today ignored the massive budget hole they created last September and proposed spending $373 million more while taxing hospitals by $200 million and shifting millions in governmental costs to private companies, Rep. John Rigby said.
The Appropriations Committee budget offered today includes no cuts of any significance and will only add to the long-term debt the state continues to run up, said Rigby, a member of the Finance Committee.
“Since I took office Connecticut’s financial troubles have been beyond serious, yet the folks steering the ship continue a band-aid approach that just isn’t working,” he said. “From where I sit, unemployment figures approaching 10 percent just isn’t acceptable. Spending more money and growing the size of government while our debt mounts is just plain irresponsible.”
Rigby and his Republican colleagues have repeatedly offered alternative budget proposals that consolidate state agencies, eliminate waste and reduce costs and the size of government.
Meanwhile, Connecticut has lost more than 90,000 jobs.
The committee passed the proposal.
“It’s time for the majority party wake up and make tough choices,” Rigby said. “We’re hundreds of millions of dollars in the hole, and they’re proposing spending more money. It’s beyond unacceptable.”
Republicans have pleaded with the Democratic majority to act on a deficit mitigation plan months ago to eliminate the current $500 million deficit to no avail.
Now there are just two months left in the fiscal year and no chance to enact savings.
