Kate Farrar

I had delicious matcha and cookies at Taste by Spellbound, was behind the scenes with the team at Fitness with Jonathan, learned all about clean beauty from Marina at Sugar Gen, and finished up at Shake Shack for National Hot Dog Day! I look forward to my next steps next week along New Park Avenue. 

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined 25 other states in suing the Trump administration over its unconstitutional, unlawful, and arbitrary decision to freeze $6.8 billion in federal education, including $53 million in Connecticut, over a half a million dollars of which is at West Hartford and Newington Public Schools. 

The lawsuit attempts to block any attempts to withhold or delay this funding.

This funding is already built into local school budgets in nearly every district in Connecticut for:

• computers and technology
• afterschool enrichment and field trips
• social workers
• English language instruction
• teacher training
• adult education and more

This funding freeze is already causing headaches for the upcoming school year. As a result of the Trump administration's actions, Connecticut and many other states do not have sufficient funding for staffing, signed contracts, and other vital services.

While these funds remain under federal review, the Connecticut State Department of Education remains committed to providing timely guidance and clear communication to our district superintendents and funded entities, pending the resolution of this matter.

Medicaid reimbursement rates are going up for community health center across Connecticut. This means more funding for care that helps 440,000 people each year.

What's in the new agreement:

• $80 million in new funding
• Rolled out over 3 years (by June 2028)
• Affects 17 community health centers across the state
• Funding increase starts October 1, 2025

Why this matters:

• Medicaid is a lifeline for low-income residents, kids, seniors, and people with disabilities
• These centers provide primary care, dental, and behavioral health and treat anyone, regardless of ability to pay

Connecticut is investing in value-based care to improve long-term health outcomes. Through community health centers, patients can access preventative care, chronic disease management and mental health services.

A big win for Connecticut's Medicaid patients and providers:

• Improving access
• Keeping care affordable
• Reducing ER visits and overall health care spending
• Strengthening the healthcare safety net

Connecticut is committed to keeping care accessible and affordable for all. With community health centers in every corner of the state, quality care is always within reach. Find a center near you at cthealthcenters.org

Also, this week I visited the team at Interval House which is the largest agency in the State of Connecticut providing domestic violence intervention and prevention services to our region. I was happy to visit and support all of their hard work on breaking the cycle of abuse and support victims and survivors. Learn more about their work here.