Gov. Dannel Malloy said millions of dollars in additional budget cuts will be necessary and he is calling on legislators from both parties to come together to address the shortfall.
The Office of Police and Management is estimating a $121 million deficit, even after the $103 million in cuts already made, Malloy said during a news conference on Monday morning.
He is calling for bipartisan budget meetings on the state budget to talk about the short-term budget shortfal, and to improve the state's fiscal outlook in the long term.
SEE THE LETTER FROM THE STATE COMPTROLLER
"No one wants to be in this position. It is our responsibility to maintain a balanced budget," Malloy said. "We can't be driven by every interest group that has a lobbyist in Hartford."
He plans to lay out his plans next week to deal with the deficit and said new taxes are off the tables.
The letter from the state comptroller provides a detailed list of shortfalls.
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“Democrats in the General Assembly were preparing to offer a $100 million plan of broad cuts that would have restored funding for our community hospitals and programs in the Department of Disability Services and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services rather than targeting programs that many Connecticut families rely on every day," Sen. President Martin Looney said in a statement. “In light of this latest projection, we are now facing a problem more than twice that size. I commend the Governor for listening to the concerns of legislative leaders.
"Everything is on the table, by and large," the governor said.
Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) and House Republican Leader Themis Klarides (R-Derby) issued a statement today about the governor's call for bipartisan budget talks and said the state "has a long way to go to fix the financial mess Democrats single handedly created in our state."
"As Republicans have constantly shown over the past year, we stand ready and willing to work collaboratively with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to do what is best for the people of Connecticut. But lawmakers should not be forced to negotiate in the margins of a budget that is entirely void of sound fiscal policies," their statement says.
