Republicans will keep fighting for state

A call for bipartisanship without crediting the bipartisan policies that delivered the results smacks of insincerity. Gov. Ned Lamont, in his speech kicking off the 2020 legislative session, missed an opportunity to truly embrace bipartisanship and put the members of his own party on notice, that if we go back to the way things used to be done, the progress we’ve made is in jeopardy.

It was the historic 2017 bipartisan budget that yielded a $2.5 billion Rainy Day Fund, investments in education, tax relief for seniors and retirees, a spending cap, a bonding cap and reforms that make government more accountable. This is what happens when Republicans lead.

Democrats then squandered these reforms last year with taxes that hurt middle class families. Spending has increased more than 6 percent, at a time when we should be finding ways to do more with less. Trust between those in power and those asked to pay the bill is at an all-time low, with promises broken on funding transportation, property tax relief and government transparency. The people and job creators in this state are being pushed to the brink.

The governor has his work cut out for him. He has to corral a Democratic majority that uses bipartisanship as a weapon, not a solution. Republicans in the legislature presented ideas that would have made policies such as the paid family and medical leave, and $15 an hour minimum wage work better and smarter for the beneficiaries of those programs and for the job creators required to implement them. But Republican ideas were left on the cutting room floor, because Democrats didn’t need our votes to pass those bills. They want bipartisanship on a new transportation plan because they don’t have the votes, but they’re unwilling to listen to the bipartisan calls in opposition to tolls.

These are not crocodile tears over elections that didn’t go as Republicans hoped. We know we are in the minority, and it’s the Democrats’ prerogative to embrace our ideas, or not. But that doesn’t mean we will stop fighting for a better way.

We’re willing to work with the governor to fight the destructive policies that held Connecticut back for more than a decade and forced too many people and job creators out of our great state. We’re willing to work with the governor to make Connecticut more affordable for the working families who have seen more money taken out of their paychecks and seen costs go up on everything from groceries to Netflix.

But if we’re going to work with the governor, it’s going to take more than an open door, it’s going to take an open mind and the courage to go against the grain of the Democrat majority in the legislature whose destructive policies threaten the success the governor touted in his address to the legislature on Opening Day.

We are lucky to call Connecticut home and we should always champion the success of the people and businesses who thrive here. However, we cannot celebrate our successes without acknowledging the struggles people face in this state each and every day, and telling them what we’re going to do to fix it. That’s why we come to work every day to fight for the 3.5 million people who call Connecticut home, and for the businesses who’ve rooted themselves here.

The House Republicans stand ready to fight for Connecticut. We are going to fight for every person and business who wants to call Connecticut home. We are going to fight to protect your jobs, your paychecks and your quality of life.