July 15, 2011

GOVERNOR MALLOY'S BUDGET BALANCING PLAN

Joint Statement from Governor Malloy and Lieutenant Governor Wyman:

"The plan we are submitting today to the Legislature contains a lot of painful spending cuts. Coupled with the list of layoffs we released yesterday, we are entirely aware of the impact this plan will have on the lives of thousands of our fellow state employees and their families, and people across Connecticut who have become used to a certain level of services provided by state government. We will do our best to mitigate that impact. As everyone knows, this was not the path we chose, but at this juncture, it is the only path we can take. Connecticut is in the midst of the worst fiscal crisis it's faced in many, many years. Without an agreement, the only way out of it requires us to make the tough, painful decisions we've made. We know there are legislators of both parties who will find many things in this plan they don't like. To reiterate: we don't like most of what's in here, either. But we would remind everyone that if the Legislature would like to remove a cut we've made from the budget, they have to replace it with another cut of the same value, and there aren't a lot of good options out there. To be clear on another point: we will not support an increase in revenue beyond what's already been agreed to.

"Through a mix of layoffs and painful spending cuts we have eliminated the $1.6 billion deficit. This budget is balanced, it's balanced honestly, and it begins the long overdue process of downsizing Connecticut's state government to make it one that taxpayers can afford. As everyone knows, we would have preferred to achieve these objectives by reaching an agreement with our state fellow employees; unfortunately, that agreement was rejected. While it remains a possibility that the unions will change their process and ratify an agreement, we cannot count on that happening. We have a job to do, and by putting forward this plan that's exactly what we're doing."

**Attached: Governor's Budget Balancing Plan

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For Immediate Release: July 15, 2011

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