Sen. Duff to Introduce 100% Tax on Trump’s $1.8 Billion Slush Fund

HARTFORD – Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) today put Washington Republicans on notice, announcing his intention to explore how Connecticut can legally claw back any payments received by state residents from the Trump regime’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Duff said he intends to introduce legislation in the 2027 legislative session once that legal review is complete, with the goal of imposing a 100% state tax on any such payments received by Connecticut residents.

The fund, announced by the Justice Department earlier this month as part of a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns, draws from the federal Judgment Fund and operates with no judicial oversight. Legal experts, government watchdogs, and even some U.S. Senate Republicans have condemned the arrangement as corrupt and unprecedented. Two Capitol Police officers who defended the building on January 6th sued to block the fund, calling it a “taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance insurrectionists.”

“The Trump regime just handed $1.8 billion in taxpayer money to the same people who beat police officers and stormed the United States Capitol,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk). “Connecticut is not going to let a single one of our residents profit from that corruption. If you filed a claim with Trump’s slush fund and collected a check, we are going to explore every legal option available to take every penny of it back. We will not allow this state to be a safe harbor for insurrectionist windfalls.”

“We are living in unprecedented times. This regime acts in ways that were previously unthinkable, and their lapdogs on the Supreme Court and in Congress hand them a stamp of approval every single time. Connecticut is going to fight back with every tool we have. We are doing the legal work now so that when the 2027 session begins, we are ready to act.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

CT Senate & House Leaders Press Lowe’s, Home Depot on License Plate Readers

HARTFORD — Connecticut Senate and House Democratic leaders today sent a letter to the chief executives of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. and The Home Depot pressing both retailers to disclose how they collect, store, and share automated license plate reader (ALPR) data at their Connecticut store locations.

The letter, addressed to Lowe’s President and CEO Marvin R. Ellison and Home Depot President and CEO Edward Decker, was prompted by reports that both retailers operate ALPRs in the parking lots of their Connecticut stores. Senate Bill 397, enacted this session and signed into law by Governor Lamont, regulates state and local use of ALPRs and retention of that data. The letter raises questions about whether the retailers’ private use of the technology adequately protects Connecticut residents.

The legislators posed eight specific questions to both companies, asking whether Connecticut stores use ALPRs, what policies govern data retention and sharing, whether judicial warrants are required before sharing data with law enforcement, and whether out-of-state law enforcement agencies can access the data.

“The impetus behind these statutory guardrails on state and local use of ALPRs is protecting the privacy of our residents,” the legislators wrote. “ALPRs, while a useful tool for security and theft prevention, have the potential to be misused to track Connecticut residents, raising concerns not only about privacy in general, but also concerns about bad actors using ALPR data to enable stalking and harassment.”

The letter was signed by Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, Senator Gary Winfield, Senator James Maroney, Senator Mae Flexer, Representative Roland Lemar, Representative Steven Stafstrom, and Representative Matthew Blumenthal.

The full letter is here and pasted below.

Dear Mr. Decker and Mr. Ellison:

As you may be aware, the 2026 Session of the Connecticut State Legislature recently concluded. One of the bills that was enacted and already signed into law by Governor Lamont was Senate Bill 397, which, in part, regulates state and local use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and retention of their data.

The impetus behind these statutory guardrails on state and local use of ALPRs is protecting the privacy of our residents. ALPRs, while a useful tool for security and theft prevention, have the potential to be misused to track Connecticut residents, raising concerns not only about privacy in general, but also concerns about bad actors using ALPR data to enable stalking and harassment.

Our offices recently learned that both Lowe’s and Home Depot use ALPRs in the parking lots of their stores in Connecticut. This has raised several concerns, to which we would appreciate your response:

1. Do any of your stores in Connecticut use ALPRs? If yes, which ones?
2. If you use ALPRs in any stores in Connecticut, what do you use them for (i.e. theft prevention)?
3. Do you have any policies or procedures in place for use of ALPRs and retention of their data? If yes, what are those policies and/or procedures?
4. Do you have any retention limits on data gathered by the ALPRs you utilize at your stores?
5. Do you share with or sell to any third-party the data gathered by the ALPRs you utilize at your stores?
6. Do you require a signed judicial warrant to share any data gathered by the ALPRs you utilize at your stores with federal, state, or local law enforcement?
7. Can out-of-state law enforcement agencies access the data gathered by the ALPRs you utilize at your stores in Connecticut?
8. Have you entered into any contractual agreement with an entity that provides ALPR services? If so, what provisions does such agreement contain regarding the retention, sharing, and selling of ALPR data?

We appreciate your time and assistance with this important matter. We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Senator Martin Looney, 11th District

Connecticut Senate President Pro Tempore

Senator Bob Duff, 25th District

Connecticut Senate Majority Leader

Representative Jason Rojas, 9th District

Connecticut House Majority Leader

Senator Gary Winfield, 11th District

Senator James Maroney, 14th District

Senator Mae Flexer, 29th District

Representative Roland Lemar, 96th District

Representative Steven Stafstrom, 129th District

Representative Matthew Blumenthal, 147th District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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