State Leaders Move to Shield Connecticut Residents from Trump Health Care Policies

By Hugh McQuaid

January 23 @ 9:25 am

As the Trump administration considers sweeping public health shifts on issues like vaccines and fluoridated water, Senate Democrats proposed new legislation this week, intended to shield Connecticut residents from potentially dangerous health policies.

Sen. Saud Anwar, a South Windsor doctor who serves as co-chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, described the proposal with Senate leaders during a Tuesday press conference in the Legislative Office Building.

“Public health is not a luxury. It’s the backbone of every thriving community,” Anwar said. “It’s not a policy. It’s a promise. And this is the time for us to have a bold stand, especially if you’re listening to what is being said by individuals who are given the responsibility to look at our public health in the new federal government.”

Anwar’s comments came just one day after President Donald Trump was sworn into office for a second term. Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as a secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy is a longtime vaccine skeptic, who the Associated Press referred to as a “one of the world’s most influential spreaders of fear and distrust around vaccines.” Kennedy has also set his sights on removing fluoride from drinking water and suggested on social media that the Trump administration would advise all American water systems to remove it from drinking water.

Fluoride has been added to U.S. water systems since the 1940s and has helped to prevent tooth decay in children and adults, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to name it one of the Ten Great Public Health Achievements of the 20th century.

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats said their wide-ranging public health legislation, called Senate Bill 7, would preserve current fluoride levels in Connecticut water supplies, protecting residents in the event that the federal agency changes its standards.

Anwar said current state law was based on an assumption that the federal government would continue to follow commonly accepted health principals.

“This has been true all these years except it no longer is,” Anwar said. “Just to put this in perspective, all these years, this law has worked. But now … if we mirror what the federal government is saying, then we may not even have fluoride in our water.”

Other provisions of the legislation would create a $30 million emergency fund to support the Connecticut Department of Public Health in the event that the Trump administration cuts funding for public health initiatives.

During his first term, Trump proposed in 2017 and 2019 to cut billions from health programs and took steps to end health insurance coverage for millions of Americans. If adopted, both proposals would put added strain on Connecticut’s public health systems.

The bill also seeks to set aside $5 million to create a Public Health Urgent Communication Fund, designed to fund the communication of clear and accurate information related to public health. Trump’s first administration contributed to the erosion of trust in public health institutions, according to a 2020 study from Cornell University, which found that nearly 38% of all misinformation during the early pandemic related to statements by Trump.

Senate Democrats said their legislation would also seek to ensure access to abortion medication like levonorgestrel, mifepristone and misoprostol by amending state law to allow for the import of their active ingredients.

Anwar said Connecticut policymakers were working to enact these types of policies based on statements from incoming Trump administration officials.

“We are going to be prepared to be able to address this,” he said. “Now, some people may say, ‘Is this a panic?’ No, it’s not a panic. We are just listening to what people are saying. And we are preparing to make sure that we are ready to protect the citizens.”