Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and the state's Democratic legislative leaders are at odds over how to fix a projected $300 million Medicaid deficit before next Wednesday's deadline.
“We've got to make some cuts to make sure that this is all honestly balanced. But we’ll get there. We always do,” Lamont said earlier this week,
He was optimistic that he’d reach an agreement with Democratic legislative leaders on how to move money around to fix the Medicaid shortfall.
But House Speaker Matt Ritter is frustrated with the negotiations.
“I hope that the executive branch knows that we’ve really worked hard to try to meet them. But it's time for less mansplaining and time for people to be in the room who can negotiate,” Ritter said at a news briefing in his office on Thursday.
At issue are the state’s fiscal guardrails that limit how lawmakers spend the state’s budget surplus. Democrats want them adjusted, while Lamont would like to keep them in place. This position was supported by Republicans, including House minority leader Vincent Candelora.
“I’m very aligned with the governor that we have to ensure that our guardrails are kept in place in the process,” Candelora said.
In the meantime, the House will act on Monday, said Ritter.
“With a deal or no deal, we have lines that we’ve been willing to negotiate to a certain point. But we think we are waiting for a counteroffer at this point,” he said.
If lawmakers fail to act before the May 21 deadline, the state would have to stop sending Medicaid reimbursement checks to providers by next Friday.
