The Potential Impact of Federal Budget Pressures on Connecticut: Questions and Answers

With a large and growing federal deficit, the President and Congress are expected to call for deep cuts in federal funding for key health and social services, while at the same time extending the large tax cuts of recent years. Decisions that will be made in the next several months may well have profound and long-term negative consequences for the millions of children, families, seniors, disabled, and others who rely on programs and services that receive federal funding, including education, health care, nutrition, and veterans’ pensions. This brief provides an overview of how federal budget problems could affect Connecticut and the quick timeframe within which these are likely to occur.