How Will a Second-Term Trump Presidency Affect Southwest Connecticut?

While we don’t know exactly what policies and programs President-elect Donald Trump will implement, we wanted to explore some topics that we’ve covered previously that could be impacted by a shift from President Joe Biden to Trump. Here’s some of the questions we have related to our areas of coverage.

How will a Trump presidency change and alter federal funds?

Connecticut has received billions of dollars in federal dollars under Biden—some from the COVID-19 pandemic relief packages like the American Rescue Plan Act and others from bills, like the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.

We’ve covered a lot of the work these programs have funded including: 

• The Walk Bridge Project, a $925 million project to replace the 128-year-old swing bridge over the Norwalk River that is a major link on the Northeast Corridor, as well as improvements and other bridge replacements along the line. 
• The design and planning for the expansion of the Norwalk River Valley Trail 
• Work on Wall Street in Norwalk to make it safer and easier to navigate 
• Mental health supports in local school districts to help students 

Trump has said he would “rescind all unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act.” 

The question remains what will federal programs look like under Trump? Will there be less federal dollars available? Will there be new federal programs that communities can apply for? What does this mean for ongoing projects that are on reliant on federal funds to finish? 

What impact will a Trump presidency have on offices like the Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Education, which are involved in local projects and regulations?

Many of these federal agencies are involved in local work taking place around the region. A few examples we’ve reported on include: 

• The United States Geological Survey, under the Department of the Interior, has been involved with efforts to improve water quality in the Long Island Sound.
• FEMA has been involved in the rebuild of Penfield Pavilion in Fairfield. 
• Federal funding from EPA and other agencies has supported tree planting efforts.
• Funding from a variety of agencies to support mental health initiatives across the region.

On the campaign trail, President Trump has called for deregulation and cuts to many of these agencies, particularly to the Department of Education. 

What does this mean for their work in southwest Connecticut? What projects and programs that are currently underway or under construction will be affected? 

How will Trump’s economic policies affect prices and businesses across the region?

In exit polls, voters said that one of their biggest issues was the economy and the cost of living. Voters cited high costs, such as the price of groceries and housing among their top concerns. 

On the campaign trail, President Trump said he would lower the corporate income tax, not tax tips, roll back income tax increases on the wealthiest Americans, and propose tariffs of at least 10 to 20% on foreign goods. 

What impact will these tariffs have on local and global businesses in Connecticut? How will consumers feel the effect of them—positively or negatively? 

How will changes in immigration policy affect communities across southwest Connecticut?

On the campaign trail, President Trump promised the biggest deportation in American history of undocumented immigrants. However, he’s also criticized legal migrants who are here through asylum programs or work visas, such as Haitian migrants in Ohio. 

Connecticut has seen a growing share of its population come from foreign-born residents. According to reporting from CT Mirror, the state’s immigrant population rose by 18% to more than 590,000 between 2013 and 2023. The Pew Research Center estimated that in 2022, about 150,000 undocumented immigrants were living in Connecticut. 

What effect will Trump’s immigration policies have on both illegal and legal immigration? What will this look like in Connecticut? What will the impact be on businesses that rely on immigrants? 

How will health care change under President Trump?

U.S. News ranked Connecticut as third in the country for access to healthcare and sixth for public health. Just 7.2% of the population was uninsured compared to the national average of 11.3%. The state also has taken action to protect the rights to abortion, passing legislation in 2022 to make it a “safe harbor” state for those who travel here to receive an abortion. 

For years Trump has called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. While he hasn’t released any specifics on what this would look like, he has said that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been anti-vaccine, would play a key role in “making America healthy again,” as the Associated Press reported. Trump’s appointed Supreme Court justices overturned Roe v. Wade, which had protected the right to have an abortion in 2022. Trump has said that this sent the decision back to the states to allow them to create their own abortion laws, but said he would “veto a federal abortion ban.” 

We’re looking at what changes to health care would Trump try to implement—What would the cost be to Connecticut residents? Would there be an effort to implement federal restrictions on abortion? 

What questions do you have?

What are areas and topics around policies and issues that you would like to see more coverage of? What should we be covering over the next four years? 

Email us at coastalconnecticuttimes@gmail.com to submit your ideas and thoughts.