Sen. Berthel Opposes Policy, Process & Politics of $56 Billion State Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2025

Media Contact:
Matt Fraulino
860-240-8832

Sen. Berthel Opposes Policy, Process & Politics of $56 Billion State Budget 

Reaffirms longstanding support for increasing town special education funding and early childhood programs, while supporting amendments to address concerns of CT families.

HARTFORD – State Sen. Eric Berthel (R-Watertown), ranking member of the Education Committee, member of the Appropriations Committee and the Select Committee on Special Education today opposed the biennium $55.8 billion state budget that includes $330 million in new spending that breaks Connecticut’s longstanding bipartisan fiscal guardrails.

In addition to the spending concerns, the 693-page budget includes hundreds of pages of unrelated policy provisions from the 2025 legislative session—many of which were not subject to public hearings. It also contains substantial earmarks for special interest considerations. As an alternative, Senate Republicans filed more than 40 amendments to streamline the legislation as a pure budget document.

“I would have supported this budget if we had worked together to invest in early childhood and special education the right way. Instead, the process broke a longstanding bipartisan promise to uphold the state’s spending controls—measures that have protected taxpayers since 2017.

“Much of the new spending is earmarked for programs that were never fully vetted by the legislature. This is political patronage, where a select few are picking winners and losers. Even more troubling, hundreds of pages contain unrelated policies—on education, housing, labor, immigration, and public health—that never received a public hearing. Using the budget as a catch-all for stalled or controversial bills disrespects both the legislative process and our constituents.

“Many senators didn’t see this bill until early Monday morning. I could not support the policy, the process, or the politics behind it.

“We have a duty to listen to our constituents and balance funding with responsibility. This budget fails to strike that balance—but I remain committed to finding solutions that prioritize education and respect taxpayers,” said Sen. Berthel.

The measure, released in the early hours of Monday, passed the Senate along party lines and now moves to the Governor’s office for approval.