Politics & Government
Lower- middle-class struggle following federal spending reductions
Godfrey says Connecticut state government doesn't have enough money to cover the costs
By Scott Benjamin
DANBURY – For more than 55 years, presidents have tried to revise Franklin Roosevelt’s "New Deal" with “New Federalism.”
Richard Nixon approved revenue sharing in which the federal government would provide funds with no strings attached.
Find out what's happening in Brookfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Ronald Reagan had some success by offering states block grants, fewer regulations and program swaps.
Donald Trump worked the phones last year to get his One Big Beautiful Bill approved before Independence Day. It included multiple provisions, including reductions in aid for some federal programs.
Find out what's happening in Brookfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
State Rep. Bob Godfrey (D-110) of Danbury says the impact on the reductions in state aid from that legislation and the lapse of the Obamacare subsidies at the end of 2025 has put some of his constituents in a dilemma.
In an interview with Patch.com, Godfrey said that during a recent forum at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury – attended by the five state representatives and one state senator who represent the Hat City, the chief topics was the “chaos, cruelty and corruption in Washington.”
Godfrey, who was initially elected in 1988 and is now the deputy speaker pro-tempore, declared, “Trump wouldn’t extend the [Obamacare] subsidies. I find that to be both objectionable and unreasonable.”
He said some of the residents in his downtown Danbury district are paying “ridiculously high bills for Obamacare,” said Godfrey. He added that others are in need of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program money.
Commented Godfrey, “The state is in pretty good shape financially” with more than $4.3 billion in its rainy-day fund.
“But we don’t have the money for everything that Washington has destroyed and we don’t know where the new cuts may come,” he exclaimed.
However, Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberly Strassel praised Trump’s budget director Russell Vought for bending the federal spending curve.
The federal Office of Management & Budget, which Vought directs, estimates “$2 trillion in 10-year savings thanks to mandatory spending reforms in Medicaid, student loans and food stamps.”
Strassel stated that it has been “eons since Republicans even pretended about spending reform.”
Godfrey said the Danbury state legislative delegation has been able to secure $10 million in additional state funds for the local school district in each of the last two years. He indicated that helped address needs in a school district that had been underfunded for 25 years before current Mayor Roberto Alves took office in late 2023.
Godfrey said that, among other things, it allowed Alves to save 124 positions in the school district.
With federal funding dwindling, he said he has spoken with the members of the General Assembly’s Education Committee, who appear committed to take a “hard look” at the state’s Education Cost Sharing formula.
Godfrey remarked, “There may be emphasis on diverse district like [Danbury],” where the student body comes from more than 40 countries.”
Godfrey said he supports Gov. Ned Lamont’s (D-Greenwich) call to ban cellular phone use in the public schools, which would require that the General Assemlby to pass authorization for “school districts to do that.”
“[Cellular phones] are a distraction,” he exclaimed
Connecticut’s landmark Education Enhancement Act was approved about 40 years ago.
It set a minimum salary which helped boost salaries at a time when there were fears that there might not be enough people going into the profession. It also increased standards as prospective teachers needed to have a t least a B-minus average in college before they could go out on student teaching. All teachers had to do professional development and the state Department of Education developed a competency instrument to determine how well teachers presented their lessons.
Godfrey said, “Teachers are better paid. They should be better paid that they are now. The stress they’re under is phenomenal. Some leave because of mental health issues.”
He said the state has been able to certify more teachers who are arriving from outside Connecticut and it has added more bilingual instructors.
The Education Enhancement Act also led to the standardized Connecticut Mastery Test for elementary and middle school students and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test for high school sophomores
In a 1997 interview with the Brookfield Journal, Jay Chittum – then the assistant superintendent of schools in Brookfield, said, “They good tests that measure higher-order thinking skills. They haven’t changed the curriculums, but they have changed how the curriculums are taught, which is a good thing.”
About 10 years ago those tests were discontinued.
Remarked Godfrey, “When I talk to employers, they say they want people who can make decisions. Who have initiative, who are thinkers, who can solve problems. No employer is putting out a standardized test for them.”
“To rely on standardized tests is not the way to go. Standardized tests don’t test creativity,” he added.
Godfrey said that during the current regular session of the General Assembly, which will conclude on May 6, he expects there will efforts to revise the standards for home-schooling.
“There is interest in trying to track those kinds of students. And be able to ensure that they are going to be able to move into a career,” he explained.
Godfrey said, as has been the case for many years, he has introduced legislation to lower the state sales tax from 6.35 percent to 6 percent.
He said his district has many young single people starting their adult careers and a number of elderly residents living on fixed incomes.
Godfrey commented that the sales tax is regressive and has greater impact on the lower income groups
On another topic, the veteran legislator said he and his constituents are appalled at some of the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers – pointing to the two recent shooting deaths in Minnesota.
Godfrey declared, “You can’t break into houses without a judicial warrant.”
Resources:
Interview with Bob Godfrey, Patch.com, on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
E-mail interview with Bob Godfrey, Patch.com, Friday, February 6, 2026
https://www.nytimes.com/1978/0...
https://ctmirror.org/2025/11/26/ct-begins-broader-debate-over-vanishing-federal-funds/
https://federalism.org/encyclopedia/no-topic/new-federalism-reagan/
https://www.urban.org/urban-wi... https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/cutting-federal-transit-funding-wont-fix-budget-shortfalls-it-would-make-transportation.
Jay Chittum, phone interview, Brookfield Journal, May, 1997.
