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A recent report from Pew highlights how Connecticut Democrats and Governor Lamont have built one of the strongest budget reserves in the nation. As many states have seen their rainy day funds dwindle during the past few months, Connecticut's financial safety net would allow the state government to operate for 67.4 days on emergency funds alone, up from 60.4 days a year ago.

This represents a dramatic change during Governor Lamont’s tenure. Connecticut has gone from having one of the smallest rainy day funds in the country to ranking 13th nationally, and second only to Maine in the Northeast.

These responsible budget practices and fiscal stewardship have proven critical in Connecticut’s ability to counter Donald Trump’s destructive cuts to our social safety net. Governor Lamont and Democratic lawmakers successfully created a $500 million emergency fund to offset cuts to health care, energy, nutrition, and education. In addition, they have paid down $10 billion in pension debt, further improving the state budget outlook moving forward.

“Connecticut Democrats and Governor Lamont know that the first building block for strong public services is fiscal responsibility," said CT Dems Chair Roberto Alves. “Our schools, childcare, policing, and early childhood programs require a robust fiscal reserve that will keep us on solid footing even during downturns or unexpected federal cuts. Thanks to the hard work of Governor Lamont and the Democratic majorities in the legislature, our state is ready to respond to the current crisis.”

“The numbers are clear. Governor Lamont and Democratic lawmakers worked hard to build the critical budget reserve that has allowed Connecticut to step up where the federal government has failed,” said CT Dems spokesperson Ian Clarke. “Real leadership is taking pragmatic steps to ensure our state can move forward, even if Washington tries to set us back. Meanwhile, the GOP field is busy one-upping each other with budget-busting proposals that have no basis in reality. Whether it's abolishing the income tax, their incoherent approach to energy policy, or starving our cities and towns of revenue, McCaughey, Fazio, and Stewart are offering empty promises they know they cannot pay for.”