CT teachers, workers, officials condemn passage of ‘shameful’ Trump bill

Hartford Courant – Thursday, July 3, 2025
By Staff Report

In Connecticut, condemnation was swift for the U.S. House of Representatives’ final passage of President Donald Trump’s mega bill on spending and immigration Thursday.

On the eve of the country’s birthday, workers’ groups, teachers, elected officials and more sent out statements, calling the bill “unconscionable,” “devastating” and “shameful” for the toll it would take on low-income Americans, immigrants and children.

Democrats and others criticized the bill as deeply slashing health care for low and middle-income families and cutting food aid to provide tax breaks for the wealthy and ramp up immigration enforcement while increasing the national debt.

“This bill is going to have devastating impacts on millions of Americans for years to come and was passed for the sole purpose of giving tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires,” said Gov. Ned Lamont. “It will amount to a massive income transfer from the poorest and most vulnerable Americans to the wealthiest. Even the Republicans in Congress were reluctant to vote for it because they know the negative impact that it will have on the public, especially the most vulnerable.

Decrying the bill’s cuts to social safety net programs and its impact on hospitals and nursing homes, Lamont promised Connecticut would try to protect residents from harm.

“Here in Connecticut, our administration is dedicated to doing what we can do mitigate some of the impact of what this bill will cause, but with a federal administration insistent on eliminating critical safety nets it is going to be nearly impossible for any state to backfill the billions in federal cuts we are going to face,” he said. “In the coming days, our administration will be analyzing this bill to determine how it will affect services in Connecticut, as well as its impact on our state’s budget, and we will be meeting with our colleagues in the General Assembly to discuss next steps.”

House Republican leader Vincent Candelora was the only Republican to issue a statement, in which he took aim at Lamont’s sentiment.

“The sky-is-falling meltdown from Governor Lamont and Connecticut Democrats over an America First agenda is as predictable as it is ridiculous. They’re not just angry this bill delivers the tax relief they hate — they’re panicking, because it exposes how badly their policies are failing working families,” Candelora said. “After years of punishing job creators, squeezing household budgets, and plotting to expand government dependency, Democrats here have nothing to offer but fearmongering and finger-pointing. And now, in a desperate bid for attention and a political reset, their party is openly embracing socialism. What they’re doing in Connecticut isn’t producing results for residents — unless you count more people relying on government as success. Maybe it’s time they drop the hysteria and let President Trump and Congressional Republicans fix the economy their party wrecked under Biden.”

Connecticut legislators approved the state’s two-year budget plan just a few weeks earlier but leaders planned to hold a special session once the federal bill was passed and levels of funding were known. Officials said the state would try to soften the blow for schools, nonprofits, Medicaid and food assistance programs slated to lose funding under Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill but could not absorb the total of the cuts proposed.

“This a shameful day for America, cutting Medicaid funding by over $1 trillion, and Connecticut’s HUSKY program alone by more than $13 billion,” said state Rep. Matt Lesser. “The President is breaking his promise to the American people to protect Medicaid. This bill is a game of three card monte; it makes the President look like he is cutting taxes while shifting costs onto states – forcing us to raise taxes to prevent hospital closures, families from going hungry and massive coverage loss for Americans on HUSKY and Access Health. I am deeply grateful to all seven members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation for being outspoken opponents of this disgraceful legislation.”

Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais warned the bill’s cuts would mean higher insurance premiums, saying, “These changes could have a significant impact not just on those who lose enhanced subsidies, but on everyone who depends on affordable coverage. They could increase the number of uninsured individuals in our state, strain already overburdened hospitals and providers, and shift costs onto commercial insurance customers, including those using Access Health CT. That means higher premiums and real risk for many Connecticut residents.”

The Connecticut Hospital Association also weighed in on the toll the bill would take on the states’ health care system.

“The congressional budget reconciliation bill will have a seismic impact on healthcare accessibility and affordability. The repercussions of Medicaid cuts will reverberate throughout the nation’s healthcare delivery system, including here in Connecticut, and will be felt by all patients and communities, not just individuals enrolled in the program,” the association said in a statement. “Those costs will be borne not only by caregivers, but also by employers, their employees, the insured, and all Connecticut taxpayers. If the uninsured forgo preventive care that could keep them healthy or address chronic conditions, they are more likely to need acute care in hospitals, which treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay for those services, further straining our care delivery system.”

Connecticut Health Foundation President and CEO Tiffany Donelson reminded residents that the bill’s changes wouldn’t take effect immediately.

“People who are covered by Medicaid (HUSKY in Connecticut) are still covered right now and should still use their coverage as usual. Our state leaders will need to determine how to implement the changes this bill requires. We are committed to working with them to try to minimize the harm this will cause, and to supporting efforts to ensure that the people most affected by these changes receive clear information about how they will be impacted,” Donelson said.

Connecticut Voices for Children, a nonprofit advocacy group, alluded to Lamont’s and Connecticut lawmakers’ choice earlier in the session to not raise taxes on the ultra wealthy to make up potential funding losses.

“The Republican majority of the U.S. Congress has passed a bill that will force residents to make impossible choices between paying for health care coverage, food and other household essentials. While the lives of low- and middle-income families become harder and more expensive, the ultra-wealthy and well-connected will largely benefit from a multi-trillion dollar tax giveaway that they don’t need to survive. The ultimate cost of these historic cuts to Medicaid and SNAP will be human lives—the unnecessary death of Connecticut residents—unless state lawmakers choose another direction,” said Emily Byrne, Executive Director of Connecticut Voices for Children.

“To be clear, it shouldn’t have to be on states to right the wrongs of the federal government, but the proverbial ball is in our court. State lawmakers, in advance of the special legislative session, will now have to make a choice of their own: to put billionaires or working families first.”

CEA President Kate Dias outlined in a lengthy statement how she said the bill would harm Connecticut children and teachers.

“This bill slashes SNAP benefits that feed those who will now go hungry. It limits Medicaid and Affordable Care Act benefits for those who will now go without needed medical care. Families who lose SNAP eligibility also risk losing access to school meals for their children, and children who are hungry or in need of medical attention do not come to school ready to learn. Our students and their families will suffer because of the harmful provisions in this bill.

“This bill also creates a tax-credit voucher scheme that will divert $25 billion to private schools with no public accountability. Public schools educate the vast majority of children in our country, and taxpayer dollars should support public schools that are open to all students—not private institutions that can select whom they serve,” Dias said.

She, as did nearly every other person who commented on HB 1’s passage, thanked Connecticut’s Congressional delegation— all Democrats who voted against the bill — for standing up and speaking out against it.

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson was among them.

“It has always been President Trump’s number one priority to make his tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, and that is exactly what this bill does,” said Larson. “What he does not mention is that it pays for those tax breaks by kicking 17 million Americans off their health care and raising premiums for others, slashing food assistance and student aid, and exploding the national debt. This bill is unprecedented in both how big of a tax cut billionaires like him and Elon Musk will receive, and also how it will hurt children, the elderly, the disabled, and our nation’s veterans. During an inflationary time when people are struggling to make ends meet, it is hard to understand how my Republican colleagues can look themselves in the mirror and vote to raise costs on the middle- and working-class people of our country, all so the wealthy can get another tax cut they do not need. Democrats will continue to shine a light on these devastating cuts. We remain focused on not only protecting but enhancing programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security for America’s working families and seniors.”

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro also decried the bill, saying it is a reflection of Republican values.

“Republicans just raised the cost of living for working Americans,” she said. “President Trump promised to lower the cost of living from day one. Instead, he and Republicans in Congress cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy while sticking working and middle-class families with the bill. President Trump’s budget bill hands $4.5 trillion in tax cuts to billionaires and the biggest corporations while gutting the very programs that help everyday Americans survive. This bill will make peoples’ daily lives more expensive for years to come.”

The bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.

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