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Sen. Murphy Speaks Out On Trump Budget And White House Press Relations

2022 FILE: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) assures students he is fighting for them during a roundtable discussion with Alfred E. Burr Middle Schoolers on youth mental health and ways to improve support services in schools, Hartford, Connecticut.
Joe Amon
/
Connecticut Public
Senator Chris Murphy in a WNPR file photo.

President Donald Trump released his first full budget this week. The proposal greatly reduces funding to entitlement programs, but increases defense spending. At least one lawmaker thinks it could be both good and bad for Connecticut.

The proposed package includes what Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy called gigantic cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor that covers about one in five state residents.

“A Medicaid cut that essentially equates to half of existing Medicaid funding, that would result in hundreds of thousands of people in Connecticut losing access to the health care system,” Murphy said. “It would require Connecticut to move seniors out of nursing homes. There’s just no way we could survive.”

Murphy said one of the few bright spots in the budget for Connecticut is its proposed increase in defense spending. 

“We certainly benefit when we’re building more submarines, or helicopters, or jet engines,” said Murphy. “I’m always supportive of increases in the kind of defense programs that protect America. But other than that, there’s not a lot to love here.”

Murphy said that while the budget is an expression of Trump’s priorities, he’s hopeful it won’t have much support in Congress.

And Murphy had some remarks about Monday's news that Jerome Corsi, Washington Bureau Chief of the far-right news website Infowars, was granted a temporary, one-day press pass by the White House.

On CNN Wednesday morning, Murphy called on the White House to deny press credentials to the news outlet in the future.

"I just don't think Infowars should be able to get inside the White House," he said. "It grants legitimacy to a news organization that peddles in really dangerous conspiracy theories."

In the past, Infowars radio host Alex Jones has blamed the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 terrorist attack on the U.S. government, and has alleged on numerous occasions that the 2012 Newtown tragedy was a hoax perpetrated by the government to take away the gun rights of U.S. citizens.

When Infowars was granted the temporary press pass Monday, Murphy reacted by tweeting, "I want to throw up."

"I guess there are some inside Infowars that believe that these 20 children are not actually dead, but are hiding out somewhere in the United States. That's just horrific for those of us who lived through it, it's horrific for those parents to listen to it," said Murphy.

Last month, the Newtown School Board wrote a letter to President Trump asking him to speak out against Alex Jones and other Sandy Hook deniers. The town has yet to receive a response from the president.

Lori Connecticut Public's Morning Edition host.
Ray Hardman is Connecticut Public’s Arts and Culture Reporter. He is the host of CPTV’s Emmy-nominated original series Where Art Thou? Listeners to Connecticut Public Radio may know Ray as the local voice of Morning Edition, and later of All Things Considered.

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