SENATE DEMOCRATS RELEASE STATEMENTS RESPONDING TO HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION INVESTMENT

Today, Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London), Senate Chair of the Housing Committee, and State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) released statements responding to Governor Lamont’s announced plan to invest at least $5.2 million into homelessness prevention and response services throughout Connecticut.

The funds, to be contributed through the Emergency State Response Reserve, will be used to support providers in the state receiving aid through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care program. Funding for that program, a primary federal homelessness prevention and support effort, is currently paused, and the Trump administration recently announced plans to upend its funding allocations.

“Thousands of Connecticut residents risk homelessness due to sudden and arbitrary federal funding changes. I’m pleased our state is responding before people are directly impacted,” said Sen. Looney. “The Republican federal government is again abdicating its duty to protect Americans, this time by adopting a policy to increase the number of people living on the streets. Our state’s foresight will limit and forestall this new imposition of suffering.”

“In November, our state prepared an emergency response reserve for moments like this, where the Trump administration puts important funding in limbo, and Connecticut residents are left picking up the pieces,” said Sen. Duff. “With temperatures unseasonably low, we are saying loud and clear that people need homes, not to be living outside, braving the elements. The Republican policy to create more homeless people is incomprehensible. I’m grateful for our state’s work to back up our commitments to the people of Connecticut and to help those in harm’s way.”

“As a home care registered nurse, I care for many elderly residents who have lost their homes due to increasing rents,” said Sen. Marx. “If we don’t maintain the programs we have and protect our residents from proposed looming cuts from the Trump administration, this problem will become much more dire.”

“Everyone experiencing housing insecurity has a different story, which makes the need for the Continuum of Care – approaching the full spectrum of issues that can set people back – so important, and the Trump administration’s abdication of duty for that program so disheartening,” said Sen. Anwar. “It’s a relief to know Connecticut is taking direct action to preserve this vital program for so many in need.”

Maroney, Looney & Duff Oppose Trump Executive Order to Block State AI Regulations

Today, state Senator James Maroney (D-Milford), Chair of the General Law Committee, Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) are releasing a statement following Trump’s new executive order blocking states from enforcing their own regulations around AI.

“With the gridlock in DC, states have been the only ones to act to defend their residents from harms of social media, and this executive order would prevent states from acting to defend their residents from potential harms of AI,” said Sen. Maroney. “We will not harness the full potential of this technology until the majority of people feel safe in using it, and this order is a major step in the wrong direction.”

“Connecticut and several other states have been leading the way in establishing common sense AI standards that protect workers, consumers, and children in everyday life,” said Sen. Looney. “Preventing states from regulating artificial intelligence exposes people to dangerous decisions, allows companies to operate without accountability, increases the likelihood of errors, and widens inequality. We will continue to champion strong, thoughtful regulation that ensures the public feels safe using these powerful technologies.”

“Donald Trump’s executive order on artificial intelligence is not about innovation or public safety. It is about enriching millionaires and billionaires at the expense of working people,” said Senator Duff. “States have stepped up where Congress has failed to protect people online, and Trump and his billionaire allies in Big Tech are afraid of that progress. By trying to strip states of their authority, this order would leave the public more vulnerable to discrimination, unsafe content, and reckless decision-making by powerful tech platforms. Executive orders are not law, and this unconstitutional overreach will be challenged in court. Like so many of Trump’s past wannabe authoritarian type actions, I expect this order to end up in the ash heap of defeated executive orders.”