Latest Column | The Big Beautiful Contrast: What Trump Gets Right & CT Gets So Wrong (August 2025)

By State Sen. Rob Sampson

If you’ve been following the media freak-out over the “Big Beautiful Bill,” you’d think Congress just passed a dystopian nightmare designed to starve grandma and destroy the weather. Naturally, none of that’s true. But as anyone watching politics lately knows, truth is rarely the priority.

The BBB is far from perfect—believe me, I’d have written a much tougher bill if I had the pen—but for once, Republicans in Washington are at least aiming in the right direction. The focus is finally on shrinking the size and cost of government, restoring accountability, and giving more freedom and money back to the people who earned it.

That alone is a massive improvement over the usual spineless compromises we’ve come to expect from the federal GOP. And what’s happening here in Connecticut? Well, it’s as stark as it is depressing.

Let’s start with the basics. The latest state budget, passed by Democrat supermajorities in the legislature, increases government spending by nearly 14% over two years. Fourteen percent! For perspective, inflation is down. Revenues are stable. Families are tightening their belts. But apparently, our state government didn’t get the memo.

Where is all this new money going? The usual places. Massive raises for state employees, expanded welfare programs, and more top-down control over your life. Meanwhile, the aid to towns—the very municipalities forced to implement and pay for the state’s mandates—barely moved. Local governments are left to fend for themselves, and they’re passing the cost on to you.

Residents across my district are furious. The phone calls and emails are pouring in. People can’t believe their latest property and car tax bills. They’re mad about their electric rates, some of the highest in the nation—and now they’re seeing towns hike taxes too. It’s insult on top of injury.

Let me be clear: Connecticut Democrats own this mess. They control every lever of power at the Capitol. Their policies have expanded government dependency, chased away businesses, and punished productivity. They tax and spend like there’s no tomorrow, and then gaslight you into thinking it’s all for your benefit.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: some Republican-led towns aren’t doing much better.

Municipal elections are coming this November. And if you’re an elected Republican at the local level, now would be a good time to remember why you were elected in the first place. It wasn’t to be a more polite version of the Democrats. It wasn’t to manage bloated budgets with a smile. It was to hold the line—on spending, on taxes, on behalf of the people who trusted you to be different.

Voters generally have two choices: Republicans or Democrats. If Republicans aren’t going to stand up for taxpayers, then who will? If Republicans are just going to rubber-stamp every union raise, every special-interest request, and every department’s wish list, then it’s no wonder turnout in municipal elections keeps plummeting. Voters don’t see a difference.

The Big Beautiful Bill is imperfect—but it reminds us what real conservative leadership looks like. It at least attempts to rein in spending. It offers tax relief to working people. It claws back regulatory insanity. It puts power and responsibility back into the hands of everyday Americans. And it dares to ask the one question Connecticut Democrats avoid at all costs: What if government actually lived within its means?

Predictably, the Left’s reaction has been unhinged. They’ve claimed it “slashes Medicaid” (it doesn’t—it adds accountability), “raises taxes on tips and Social Security” (false—it cuts them), and even blamed it for a natural disaster in Texas because it dares to touch NOAA’s bloated research budget. I wish I were making that up.

The real reason Democrats hate the BBB is simple: it passed without their permission. They didn’t get to funnel more money to their activist allies. They didn’t get to include their “climate equity” nonsense or radical gender ideology. It was a clean conservative win, and they can’t stand it.

Imagine, for a moment, if Connecticut adopted even a fraction of that model. A government that lives within its means. A state that respects the taxpayers instead of exploiting them. A business climate that rewards risk-taking, not bureaucratic obedience. A state where schools put students before unions, where laws are enforced, crime is punished, and families can feel safe and proud of where they live.

We could be that state. But first, voters need to see a difference. That’s why I’ve never been afraid to call out my own party when we lose focus. I’m a proud Republican—but I’m not here to carry water. I’m here to fight for freedom. I’ll give credit where it’s due and hold my own side accountable when necessary.

The people of this state are tapped out. They’re not unreasonable. They just want to see their hard work respected—not confiscated to feed a government that never stops growing. I’ll continue doing everything I can at the state level to hold the line. But I can’t do it alone.
So, here’s my message to my fellow Republicans, especially those in town halls this fall: Don’t forget who you work for. Don’t forget what you promised. And don’t be surprised when voters remind you.

Let’s give people a reason to believe again—not just in a party, but in the principle that built this country: freedom, earned responsibility, and government that knows its place.