In his second television appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told a roundtable of reporters and politicos Tuesday morning that Connecticut’s business community supports his two-year budget plan that proposes to raise taxes by $1.5 billion.
 “The biggest employers in the state of Connecticut are happy with this budget,” Malloy said during the cable broadcast, which featured a roundtable including former NBC newsman Tom Brokaw and Pat Buchanan, a former senior adviser to presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan.
Malloy made the remarks when he was asked by “Morning Joe,” co-host Mika Brzezinski, how Connecticut’s business community is reacting to his proposed budget.
Malloy said businesses are supportive of the plan because they understand Connecticut has been playing games with its budget for years, like not adhering to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
But not so fast says Joseph Brennan, a lobbyist for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. Brennan said while Malloy’s budget provides a good starting point, most CBIA members want to see more spending cuts. And Brennan said any support from the business community will rely heavily on Malloy’s ability to get $1 billion in concessions from the unions.
Malloy, who has a 35 percent approval rating according to the latest Quinnipiac University Poll, said Connecticut has lost jobs for 22 years, and if job growth from the casinos and Fairfield County were taken out of the equation, the state would be in a “jobs depression.” He blamed irresponsible state spending as a driver of the problem, saying Connecticut’s $3.2 budget deficit is partly structural in nature.
In terms of his jobs recruitment efforts, Malloy said he was on the phone with three businesses Monday and he’s calling three more companies today.
He said he would like to get more companies with a Connecticut presence to consolidate their operations in the state. He noted that Connecticut has ignored the insurance industry in particular in recent years.
