GOP Declines Chance to Override Malloy Veto

Five days after Gov. Dannel Malloy vetoed the budget drafted by members of the GOP, Republicans declined to attempt to override it on the House floor when given the chance. 

Democrats viewed the silence as proof Republicans didn’t support their own document and Republicans cried foul, providing multiple reasons for not attempting an override, including not having the votes. 

The Speaker of the House, Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, D–Berlin, opened the floor for motions to reconsider the budget vote from September, and Republicans remained silent, as did the five Democrats who crossed party lines to send it to Malloy’s desk. 

“Given the opportunity to discuss, defend, and vote for a veto override on their budget, the Republican party decided to take a pass,” Aresimowicz said later. “I would say that’s indicative of a flawed document as pointed out by higher education, some of the cities, Hartford going bankrupt in other areas.” 

Republican Leader Themis Klarides, R–Derby, said she felt the vote, held just days after veto, was rushed and she preferred continuing bipartisan budget talks, reserving the veto override for possibly weeks, or even later. 

“It’s disappointing to me that this happened so quickly,” Klarides said. 

She also said she was ready to continue those budget talks, using the GOP budget that passed with some Democratic support as the starting point. 

“Working off a document you have is always better than working from scratch, and that was the reason we didn’t bring up the motion to override today,” she said.

State Rep. Vincent Candeloria, R–Branford, told reporters that Republicans had not secured enough Democrats for an override. 

One hundred one votes were required, and at least 29 of them would have had to be from Democrats. 

“We didn’t have the votes on their side of the aisle, Candeloria said. “We still have the opportunity go back in over the next month even, to override the veto.” 

Republicans had spent several of the past five days pushing for the veto override. They held events all over the state with Republican House and Senate members, along with constituents, pushing for an override. 

Democrats described the effort as disingenuous.

“Let’s get this budget off the table. It will never get 101 in the House. It will never get enough in the Senate. Let’s stop talking about something that doesn’t exist. Let’s get rid of the impossible and move to the possible. Let’s get to a budget and let’s do that and stop the insanity,” Aresimowicz said. 

Malloy said he expected to see an override vote fail, but viewed the result as being the same. 

“Everyone knows what the result would have been if there was a vote today and I think we need to keep moving forward and try to keep moving to get a budget by the 13th,” he said.  

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