Democratic and Republican legislative leaders didn’t give Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy any quick or easy solutions to this year’s 2016 budget deficit.
In a six-sentence letter Democratic legislative leaders said they are still exploring ways to balance the 2016 budget. Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano said he will lay out the details of his proposal Tuesday.
Malloy asked Democratic and Republican legislative leaders last week for ideas about where to find more than $200 million in spending cuts to balance this year’s budget deficit. He gave them until today to respond.
In their letter to Malloy, House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, and their majority leaders said they are “examining targeted cuts to municipal aid that reflect avoidable inefficiencies and foster inter-municipal cooperation; looking at programs and agencies that are not providing services in a cost-effective manner; and reviewing existing state contracts with vendors.”
In his letter last week to lawmakers, Malloy suggested $6 million from reductions in the state workforce, and rescissions from the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, higher education, $51 million from private nonprofit service providers, and $20 million in reductions to municipal aid.
“There are budgetary decisions that need to be made as early as this week, and as such, we plan on moving forward and governing by taking tough but necessary steps,” Devon Puglia, a Malloy spokesman, said. “As we have said, we are always seeking ideas that can constructively add to the discussion, and we look forward to seeing what’s put on the table.”
Fasano said he plans on unveiling a “complete deficit mitigation plan for fiscal year 2016” on Tuesday morning. He said the proposal is still being fined tuned and he’s looking to get the support of his caucus before releasing it.
House Minority Leader Themis Klarides and her caucus will also be participating in the release of that proposal, which will be made at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
