Rep. Ben McGorty: Rushed State Budget Process Fails Taxpayers and Undermines Local Priorities

HARTFORD, CT – State Representative Ben McGorty (R–122) voiced strong opposition following the General Assembly’s passage of a $55.8 billion biennial budget, citing deep concerns with the process, lack of transparency, and failure to address core priorities like affordability and support for local communities.

McGorty criticized the budget’s 11.2% increase in General Fund spending—over $2.5 billion in just two years—without delivering meaningful relief for working families or meeting the state’s obligations to special education. Despite ongoing bipartisan calls to fully fund special education excess costs, the budget only provides an additional $40 million per year and a one-time $30 million grant, which McGorty said still leaves districts under-resourced.

“Connecticut’s cities and towns are being forced to do more with less, especially when it comes to special education,” said Rep. McGorty. “This budget continues to push costs onto local taxpayers while failing to deliver the support communities actually need.”

The budget also scraps a proposed middle-class Child Tax Credit and replaces it with a one-time $250 payment to ETIC recipients with children—a move McGorty called shortsighted and insufficient.

“This state had an opportunity to ease the pressure on working families with a permanent, reliable tax credit, and instead offered a one-off check that barely scratches the surface,” McGorty said. “That’s not real relief—it’s political cover.”

The budget includes nearly $2 billion in new revenue through tax and fee changes, including an increase in hospital user fees and extended business surcharges. McGorty argued that while Connecticut residents are being asked to pay more, the budget fails to return anything meaningful to the middle class or prioritize affordability.

McGorty also aimed at the budget’s inclusion of new funding for healthcare services for undocumented immigrants, saying the state’s obligations should focus first on legal residents and taxpayers who are already overburdened.

“People in my district are frustrated,” McGorty said. “They see a state government that’s out of touch with their daily struggles and focused on the wrong priorities.”

Most troubling, McGorty said, was the way the budget was pushed through the legislature. The 600+ page budget was finalized and voted on without any opportunity for meaningful public review or thorough debate.

“This budget was dropped at the last minute, rushed through without proper scrutiny, and not one member of the majority leadership read it in full,” said McGorty. “That’s not how responsible government works. That’s a disservice to every taxpayer in this state. Connecticut residents deserve a transparent, open process—not backroom deals and last-minute votes on billions of dollars.”

Rep. McGorty reaffirmed his commitment to responsible budgeting, local control, and a state government that puts families, affordability, and community needs first.