Democrats rally at state Capitol to protest possible Medicaid cuts

Gov. Ned Lamont joined leading state Democrats for a rally at the State Capitol warning against possible cuts to Medicaid funding.

President Donald Trump has insisted that he does not intend to cut Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security funding. But Democrats argue that cuts are inevitable if Republicans in Washington are serious about fulfilling their campaign promises to drastically reduce federal spending at the same time as they seek to renew sweeping tax cuts from Trump’s first term.

“Their focus is their two trillion-dollar tax cut that they want to make permanent,” Rep. John Larson told a crowd of a few hundred gathered on the State Capitol’s south lawn. 

Larson chairs the congressional subcommittee responsible for overseeing Social Security. His Democratic colleagues echoed his warning.

“My friends, Medicaid is in mortal danger,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the U.S. House’s budget-writing committee, said. 

She cited a figure put forth in a budget blueprint drawn up by her Republican colleagues in the House that targets $880 billion in spending cuts by the congressional committee that oversees Medicaid funding.

Connecticut Republicans largely echo Trump’s claim that core welfare services won’t fall victim to future Republican budget proposals — while simultaneously identifying areas where they believe spending could be reduced.

“We certainly need to protect the benefits that are provided in Medicaid,” State Rep. Vincent Candelora, the Republican leader in the state House of Representatives, said. “But we do also need to look at, for instance, we provide Medicaid to able bodied individuals that can go to work.”

Candelora also identified Connecticut’s policy of providing Medicaid services to certain minors in the country without legal status as another area where costs could be cut. Governor Lamont signed an expansion of that program last year.

“How much is he willing to expend of state tax dollars to provide a red carpet, Cadillac plan of healthcare for illegal immigrants?” Candelora said.

As lawmakers, advocates and the public await additional signals from Washington on the future of Medicaid funding, Gov. Lamont reiterated a reality that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have acknowledged: any significant spending changes emanating from Washington could impact the two-year budget currently being negotiated in Hartford. 

Speaking with News 8 at a separate event on Tuesday morning, Lamont described the situation as a “jump ball” that might require the legislature to come back into session later this year to reassess.