Anne Hughes

Tonight I will be attending the State of Connecticut’s annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony, honoring and celebrating the lives of those killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which will be held at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, where Connecticut's official 9/11 memorial is located, at 5:30 p.m.

Additionally, we will not forget the many CT First Responders that took action in the wake of that tragedy, and are paying dearly with the costs to their health and deadly cancers and respiratory illnesses as a result. We remember and we advocate to take care of them as the 9/11 First Responder Health Fund runs dry.

(Every year, the state intentionally holds its official memorial ceremony several days prior to the actual anniversary in order to accommodate the family members and friends of the victims. Because Connecticut is in such close proximity to New York City, many family members and friends who live in the state choose to also attend the annual ceremony that is held annually at the site of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.)

Weston will have its own flag-lowering ceremony on the Town Green, 56 Norfield Road, on Sept. 11 at 9 a.m.

I, along with my Democratic colleagues, attended a critical Health and Human Services Committee hearing this week on the impact the federal budget cuts will have on Connecticut residents.

My Republican colleagues, save for one, boycotted the hearing after months of gaslighting residents that the cuts wouldn't have any effect on them.

What came out at the hearing couldn't have been further from the truth, explaining the Republicans' absence. The Donald Trump/Republican-led federal government budget is nothing short of disastrous.

Experts shared that roughly 168,000 people, or one in seven Medicaid recipients, would lose coverage, and over 51,000 Connecticut residents would see their health insurance subsidies slashed.

We heard from panicked families, in every district: small business owners, self-employed, who received notices that their premiums on the ACA exchange (AccessHealthCT) could skyrocket by several thousand dollars a month in January, which they flat-out cannot afford.

We heard heartbreaking testimony from families whose loved ones on Medicaid would be potentially losing coverage, and now those on Medicare would have to struggle with receiving prior authorizations before receiving routine care.

Additionally, federal cuts will end key programs, including the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides $80 million in heating aid for seniors.

My colleagues and I expressed our shock at the cuts, which include reductions to food stamps (SNAP) that would impact single mothers, veterans, children exiting foster care, and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.

We know that with the federal bill that passed -- “HR-1, the BBBill -- cruelty is the point. And as the members of the Human Services Committee of the legislature who showed up, we demand, “Not on our watch!”  We are committed to finding solutions to address this devastating harm in a Fall Special Session.

We must use all the creativity, collaboration, and resources available to protect our people before the whole healthcare and hospital system collapse in this proposed death spiral.

Meanwhile, statewide GOP lawmakers remain silent, save for House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, who dismissed the cuts as a "fantasy" and blamed Democrats for not spending enough on social services.

This despite years of the statewide GOP advocating for spending cuts.

Connecticut and the nation deserve better.

For more information, please read here.

On Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs will host its annual Stand Down event. This event is a commitment to serving Connecticut’s veterans, military personnel, and their immediate families by providing “one-stop” access to a range of programs and services offered by state and federal agencies, veterans organizations, and community-based nonprofits at regional sites across the state.
 
A formal ceremony will be held at the Rocky Hill Stand Down location at 9:30 a.m.; however, you're welcome to attend any of the six Stand Down locations at any time throughout the day.

Stand Down locations are:

• Bridgeport: University of Bridgeport, Wheeler Recreational Center, 400 University Avenue
• Southington: Southington Armory, 600 Woodruff Street
• Danbury: Danbury War Memorial 1 Memorial Drive
• Norwich: Easter Seals Veterans Rally Point, 24 Stott Avenue
• Rocky Hill: Connecticut Veterans Affairs campus, 287 West Street
• Stamford: UConn at Stamford, 1 University Plaza

Click HERE for more information.