BREAKING: CUTS MILLIONS TO CONNECTICUT ARTS GROUPS AND MUSEUMS

HARTFORD – Senate President Martin Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bon Duff (D-Norwalk) issued the following joint statement today regarding the midnight decision by President Donald Trump and his Republican administration to cut approximately $3,000,000 in aid to Connecticut from the federal National Endowment for the Humanities.

“There is no aspect of American life that Donald Trump and his Republican administration have left unscathed in their venal desire to give tax breaks to their billionaire buddies. Veterans, health care, education, home heating assistance for seniors, and now arts groups and museums have all fallen victim to his knife. And there is no end in sight to the pain and destruction that Donald Trump and Republicans will inflict on Connecticut and the nation in order to reward billionaires while trampling middle-class Americans underfoot.

“We will all pay the price – in increased prices due to tariffs, less health care, fewer educational opportunities, reduced local services, and now the destruction of the arts and events that celebrate our local history and culture. And still our Republican colleagues in Connecticut remain mute to Trump’s revenge on the nation.”

Jason Mancini, Executive Director of CT Humanities, testified today before the Appropriations Committee about the letter he received at midnight last night.

“As many of you may know from New York Times reporting, DOGE staffers visited the offices of the National Endowment for the Humanities on Monday. Subsequently, rumors began to spread about grant suspensions and terminations.  At midnight last night, I received from the chair of NEH a series of letters terminating our operating support grants. These are the funds through which we serve Connecticut’s cultural sector – our grantmaking to museums and cultural organizations, and through our civics initiatives, literature programs, digital projects, and educational resources. This also means that direct NEH grants to Connecticut organizations will cease,” Mancini said. “Coupled with the termination of Institute of Museum and Library Service grants and suspension of IMLS staff, this means that millions of dollars of federal funding will no longer be invested in our communities. Almost certainly, funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to the Connecticut Office of the Arts and arts organizations will be next.”

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is the only federal agency in the United States dedicated to funding the humanities. Since its founding in 1965, NEH has awarded over $6 billion in grants to museums, historic sites, colleges, universities, K–12 teaching, libraries, public television and radio stations, research institutions, independent scholars, and to its humanities council affiliates in each of the nation’s 56 states and jurisdictions. Panels of independent, external reviewers examine and select top-rated proposals to receive grants.

NEH grants support the building blocks of American civil society, helping to examine the human condition, promote civics education, understand our cultural heritage, foster mutual respect for diverse beliefs and cultures, and develop media and information literacy. Grants help to bring museum exhibitions to your town, strengthen teaching in your schools, create documentaries and podcasts, facilitate groundbreaking research, and preserve and expand access to cultural and historical artifacts.

From 2019 to 2023, the NEH issued $10.53 million to support 81 projects in Connecticut, ranging from educational programs and planning and preservation grants to stipends for fellowships and internships. Recently funded NEH projects in Connecticut include:

-$25,000 for The Weston Historical Society, “Weston at Work: A New, Permanent Exhibit Focusing on Industry and Marginalized Groups in Weston, CT”

-$25,000 for Eastern Connecticut State University for curriculum development “Empowering Students to navigate an A.I. World”

-$259,000 for the Connecticut State Library, “Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project”

-$10,000 for the Mark Twain Memorial, “Mark Twain House & Museum Book Preservation”

-$31,000 Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, “Nook Farm: Then and Now”

$48,500 for the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, “The Way Sisters: Miniaturists of the Early Republic”

Senators Looney, Duff & Anwar Denounce Job Killing Federal Health Cuts

HARTFORD – Today, Senate President Martin M. Looney, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and State Senator Saud Anwar, Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee, released the following statement in response to the confirmation that federal cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services have already impacted 50 individuals working with the state Department of Public Health, with another 49 agency staff at risk of unemployment:

“It seems that Connecticut takes another blow from the federal government every day under the Trump administration. Today, we learn that 50 individuals working with the Department of Public Health who keep the agency’s operations functional were issued stop work orders, and another 49 agency staff are at direct risk of losing their jobs, all as a result of grants previously approved by Congress and suddenly rescinded by federal leaders. What’s worse, we fear this is the tip of the iceberg, and continue to struggle to determine exactly what our state is losing so we can properly respond.

“Connecticut Republicans remain shamefully silent as these devastating federal cuts continue to harm our state. Their refusal to speak out against this job-killing move is a betrayal of Connecticut workers and families. Time and again, they have chosen party loyalty over standing up for our state’s needs. Their silence on these cruel and reckless federal decisions proves they are complicit in the destruction of critical services and the livelihoods of our residents. Once again, we urge them to join us.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193

Senators Looney & Duff Condemn Trump’s Massive Tax Hike on Connecticut Families

HARTFORD – Today, Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) released the following statement in response to the new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump:

“Donald Trump just announced the largest tax increase in American history—a national sales tax on everything Connecticut families buy. This is a direct assault on working families, forcing them to pay higher prices on everything from groceries to home goods, all so Trump can hand yet another massive tax cut to his billionaire donors. It is unconscionable. The multimillionaires and billionaires that Trump caters to will never feel the impact of this national sales tax. Their wealth is so unimaginable that they never have to worry about a grocery bill, affording the next mortgage payment, or watching the cost of gas at the pump.

“These tariffs are nothing more than a tax hike on the backs of hardworking Connecticut families, and Connecticut Republicans must decide—will they stand up for their constituents, or will they continue to enable Trump’s economic policies that harm our communities? The people of Connecticut deserve leaders who will fight against this unfair, regressive, and unnecessary burden.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193