by Donald Eng
HARTFORD, CT — The federal government shutdown that began just after midnight Wednesday morning could have wide-ranging and long-lasting effects on the state, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.
Speaking at a media briefing Wednesday, Lamont lamented the inability of Congress to pass a budget.
“These guys in Washington have got to get their act together,” Lamont said.
Lamont cited the Republican control of the White House and both houses of Congress, adding that he stood with Connecticut’s Congressional delegation in tying provisions of the Affordable Care Act to the budget negotiations.
But he also took a less hardline stance than Connecticut’s federal legislators.
“It’s surprising to me that they can’t figure this out,” he said. “Seems to me there’s a deal to be had there.”
In the short term, Lamont said the Connecticut WIC (women, infants, children) program, which provides food for an estimated 50,000 mothers, infants, and young children at a cost of about $200,000 each day, was the most immediate concern. The state has sufficient reserve funds to continue that program for a while, he said.
“We want moms and young families to know that their WIC card will be good for the foreseeable future,” he said.
Another food benefit, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is more costly, Lamont said. That program is funded through the end of October, he said.
“It’s pretty costly, at about $72 million a month, and it takes care of hundreds of thousands (of people),” Lamont said. He added that the number of people depending on the program would likely rise if the shutdown dragged on and workers began getting furloughed from their jobs.
Connecticut also has recently upped its annual contribution to Connecticut Foodshare, from $850,000 to nearly $3 million, in response to federal cutbacks in food supplies.
Other state funding priorities include the Department of Education, which has about 90 days worth of operating funds, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which Lamont said should be stable through October.
Medicaid also has funding through the first three months of 2026, he said.
On the Republican side, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford, said he hoped the shutdown would be short and end with a negotiated deal.
“Here in Connecticut, Republicans and Democrats came together in 2017 to resolve our biggest budgetary crisis, creating the fiscal guardrails that have enabled us to build savings and tackle our pension debt,” he said. “Our leaders in D.C. could learn from what we accomplished.”
Candelora said he was concerned Lamont and the legislative Democrats were exploiting the shutdown to increase state spending above what was approved during the recent budget cycle.
“Now the governor faces a critical test: will he protect what little remains of Connecticut’s fiscal discipline, or cave to political pressure from his own party?” Candelora said.
Lamont said calling the state legislature into special session was a possibility. He also could use the state’s reserves, also known as the Rainy Day Fund, for critical programs. He said Connecticut was better prepared to weather the shutdown than many other states with smaller or no reserve funds.
“I’m glad I’ve got $4 billion to make sure I won’t have to jack up your taxes or cut your education funding,” he said.