Representatives in one of the bluest states in the country voted to pass a bill that would fund a bevy of far-left projects and organizations now that President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency have frozen some federal funding.
On Monday, Connecticut state representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass H.B. 7066. The measure is considered an “emergency certified bill,” which allows representatives to expedite the approval process without the hassle of consulting legislative committees first.
‘Giving more taxpayer money, even one cent, let alone $800,000, to those in the abortion business is truly tragic.’
Among other things, the bill offers a whopping $2.8 million in overall funding, much of which will be allocated to far-left groups. The largest recipient in the bill by far is Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, slated to receive a cool $800,000, even after the group was reportedly already gifted added millions in recent months.
Chris Healy, executive director of Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, noted to lawmakers that Planned Parenthood was already allocated an additional $3 million at the end of the 2024 legislative session, according to the Hartford Courant. State Rep. Tammy Nuccio (R-Tolland) also claimed that the state House appropriated another $500,000, bringing the total to perhaps $3.5 million in added funding.
“Why are we giving Planned Parenthood $800,000 now … that they’re going to need to spend in the next three months?” Nuccio wondered during a speech on the House floor.
“Giving more taxpayer money, even one cent, let alone $800,000, to those in the abortion business is truly tragic,” said Healy. “We can only pray for those in power to reject this horrible idea.”
Sadly, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England is far from the only leftist group that will benefit from H.B. 7066. The bill gives $225,000 a piece to Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services and the New Haven Gay and Lesbian Community Center and nearly $390,000 to the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective.
Additionally, nearly two dozen other organizations are slated to receive $62,500 each. Those groups include Junta for Progressive Action, the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition, Queer Youth Program of Connecticut, and OutCT, yet another LGBTQ outfit that features its own youth program.
Middlesex Hospital is also slated to receive $62,500, and according to the Courant, the hospital intends to spend the money on a “gender clinic.” Furthermore, the bill requires each Connecticut school to designate at least one administrator who will “interact” with federal immigration authorities.
Screenshot of H.B. 7066
State Rep. Toni Walker (D-New Haven) basically admitted that the efforts of Trump and DOGE at the federal level prompted this “emergency” funding bill at the state level. “This is a small, incremental help while we try to work out these issues with Washington,” Walker said.
“We were trying to spread it out to as many organizations as possible. There were several locations that had lost funding. … They needed some support.”
Republicans Gale Mastrofrancesco of Wolcott and Jay Case of Winsted balked that so many worthy causes, including those that help the poor and homeless, had been overlooked in favor of Dem pet projects regarding gender and sexuality.
“We have American citizens who can’t even afford their electric bill,” said Mastrofrancesco.
“We have people sleeping outside at night,” added Case. “We have nothing here for that.”
‘Tell me what politicians fund, and I’ll tell you what they value.’
Despite their objections, 7066 sailed through the state House, 94-49, almost entirely along party lines. All Republicans voted against it, and just two Democrats joined them. On Tuesday, the Senate decided to schedule the measure for a vote.
State Rep. Joe Canino (R-Torrington) described the entire measure as “absurd.”
“In this ’emergency bill,’ we are giving almost a million dollars to Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, an organization with an endowment over $70 million. We have people sleeping out in the cold, families who are running out of food assistance, and disabled children who lack services. That is where the emergency is. Budgeting is about priorities, and Connecticut is now prioritizing an ideological war with the Trump administration over funding for those who truly need it most,” Canino said in a statement to Blaze News.
Leaders of the Connecticut watchdog group Yankee Institute are likewise frustrated with the expenditures in the bill.
“Tell me what politicians fund, and I’ll tell you what they value,” Yankee Institute President Carol Platt Liebau said in a statement to Blaze News. “The fact that they did it in secret reveals that they know their priorities are out of step with the taxpayers that subsidize their reckless spending.”
Frank Ricci, a fellow at Yankee Institute, described the bill as “cloaked in darkness” and a “brutal slap to transparency.” However, he added that it also demonstrates just how effective Trump and the DOGE have been in just a few short weeks.
“This lays bare the power of DOGE and rigorous audits to rip the mask off waste, fraud, and abuse,” Ricci said in a statement to Blaze News. “Without them, taxpayers would be left clueless, their pockets quietly picked to fund these cozy political pet projects.”
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Connecticut, Doge, Trump, Waste, Fraud, And abuse, Planned parenthood, Far left, Democrats, Politics
