This afternoon House Republican Leader Themis Klarides, responding to Governor Malloy’s request that Republicans release a budget of their own in time for the May 5 deadline on which they insisted, told the Hartford Courant that “House Republican members and staff are fully engaged in the budget process. As your budget winds its way through the committees we expect to offer alternatives to the tax and spending plans as they were presented just one month ago.”

Democrats are hoping that Klarides and her House GOP colleagues have more to offer than previous Republican proposals.

“I’m glad to hear that Representative Klarides is planning on putting forward an alternative. I hope, though, that she has more to offer than previous GOP proposals. Legislative Republicans have never seemed to understand that increasing spending while decreasing revenues does not equal a balanced budget, just like one plus one does not equal three. Maybe this year, instead of relying on phantom savings and spotty Republican math, they will actually roll up their sleeves and come up with a realistic proposal.” – Connecticut Democratic Party Executive Director Michael Mandell

BONUS: According to the CT Mirror, overly sensitive Senate Republican leader Len Fasano has responded to Gov. Malloy’s letter – which, again, asked Republican leaders to put forward a budget within their self-imposed timeline. “Thank you for your obviously politically charged and partisan letter today,” Fasano wrote, in an obviously politically charged and partisan letter.

“Republicans have used time, energy, and taxpayer resources to attack Governor Malloy’s budget proposal, yet Senator Fasano bristles at the suggestion that he should offer actual budget solutions? This along with recent statements do not show that the Republican Senate leaders are serious about moving beyond petty political disagreements. Why should we should be surprised? It’s been 10 years since they supported a budget that helped create this situation.” – Mandell concluded.