Amid reports that federal cuts could directly harm Connecticut households, the state recently created a tool for businesses, nonprofits and municipalities to report information on how they are being impacted by federal policy and funding changes.
As reports indicate Connecticut has lost as much as $425 million in federal funding in the first 100 days of the Trump administration — including funds for medical research and disease testing and monitoring, educational support and nonprofit funding — state leaders launched an online portal at www.ct.gov/fedimpact where those impacted can report the latest cuts to their operations.
Stakeholders can use the website to enter information on funding pauses, cancellations and reductions; layoffs or firings; and the financial impact of tariffs on businesses. Information will then be collected and shared with relevant state agencies to inform the state’s response to future challenges.
Those challenges have ranged from cuts to medical research and educational programs at universities like Yale, UConn and Sacred Heart to more than $150 million in public health funding clawed back by the federal government. CT Insider reported the entire federal allocation to the nonprofit Connecticut Humanities was frozen as well, worth more than $1 million.
Further cuts mentioned by CT Insider include a library-run citizenship program in Hartford, lead removal programs in Bridgeport and Waterbury and previously approved grants for historical societies and museums in the state.
There are growing concerns that these cuts are just the tip of the iceberg, making information gathering vital for the state to respond and adjust to further policy changes. State leaders met in April to discuss the prospect of potential cuts to Medicaid, which could impact nearly 1 million Connecticut residents.
The Republican-controlled Congress recently advanced a proposal to cut $880 billion in federal spending, with Medicaid frequently mentioned as a prime target. According to News 12, state health organizations are already missing money from federal portals, and with one in five Americans using Medicaid, cuts could impact access to care for millions, which would likely put increased strain on health systems.
Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon said on a recent Sunday morning talk show that the state could lose up to $800 million in annual federal funding if the cuts move forward.
The Center for American Progress analyzed the impact of deep Medicaid cuts and found disturbing outcomes. Such a change could lead to tens of thousands of additional deaths every year across the country through dropped coverage, increased inefficiencies, and loss of insurance. As many as 34,200 additional deaths could occur every year nationally in the event of program cuts, the CAP found, with Connecticut losing more than 400 additional residents per year.
