Hartford, CT – Connecticut Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo issued the following statement in response to Jerry Labriola’s press release on the budget:

“When Dan Malloy took office he inherited a deficit of $3.67 billion, a deficit that took many years under the leadership of two Republican governors to create. It took Dan Malloy three and a half years to erase that deficit and he did it the old fashioned way– through hard work. As usual, Jerry’s statement couldn’t be farther from reality, that much is clear. What’s also clear is that John McKinney and the Republicans’ budget raises taxes on Connecticut families to the tune of $120 million by eliminating the Earned Income Tax Credit. The real gimmick is the CT GOP’s desperate attempt to distract from their candidates for governor pandering to the NRA on guns, proposing tax increases themselves, and making outrageous promises they can’t keep.”

Background:

Malloy Eliminated A $3.67 Billion Deficit He Inherited, One Of The Worst In The Nation, Using An Approach That Required Spending Cuts, Concessions From State Employees, and Increased Revenue. According to nonpartisan analysis from the Office of Fiscal Analysis, Governor Malloy entered office inheriting a deficit of $3.67 billion, one of the ten worst state budget deficits in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. Malloy eliminated the deficit he inherited with a budget that included spending cuts, concessions from state employees, and increased revenue. [Office Of Fiscal Analysis, Fiscal Accountability Report, 11/15/10; U.S. News & World Report,1/14/11; Public Act 11-1, Signed 7/1/11; State Comptroller, Comprehensive Annual Financial Report FY 2012, 2/8/13]

Hartford Courant Blog Headline: “Republicans Offer Alternative Budget That Would Eliminate Rebates, Keno, and EITC.” “With less than three weeks remaining in the legislative session, Republicans offered an alternative budget Thursday that rejects Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s $55 tax rebates and eliminates keno gambling. The Republican plan would save the state more than $120 million per year by eliminating the state earned income tax credit for the working poor, but that idea was immediately criticized by Democrats.” [Capitol Watch, Hartford Courant, 4/17/14]

McKinney Said He Would Sign A Repeal Of The Gun Control Legislation He Voted For After Newtown, Foley “Has Reached Out To Gun Owners,” And Boughton Resigned From Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “Sen. John P. McKinney, a Republican who helped pass a bipartisan gun-control law after the Newtown school massacre in his district, tells a conservative audience in a video Democrats posted Wednesday that he would not block the law’s hypothetical repeal if elected governor.[…] Tom Foley, the 2010 nominee and GOP front-runner, has reached out to gun owners, addressing the state’s largest gun group and appearing at a recent Second Amendment rally, but he has declined to promise he would seek the repeal or revision of the law. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, another candidate, resigned a week ago from Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an affiliation that had brought him the opposition of gun owners.” [CT Mirror, 4/16/14]

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