2 CT Towns Cited For 'Wasteful' Spending In President Trump's Annual Budget Request

Two Connecticut towns were mentioned in President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2027 budget request as examples of what the administration described as "wasteful" spending.

Greenwich and Waterford were highlighted in the budget request as the administration seeks to increase defense spending and reduce non-defense programs for 2027.

Under "Program Cuts and Eliminations," the proposal calls for cutting $3.3 billion from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

"For the sixth time, the Trump Administration’s Budget proposes to eliminate the CDBG program, which has funneled money to many ideological pet projects and failed to target funding to communities in need. The program has been used for many projects that the Federal Government should not be funding, such as improvement projects at a brewery, a concert plaza, and skateboard parks," the budget request says.

More specifically, Greenwich is cited for how it has used its CDBG funding.

"The Town of Greenwich in Connecticut’s famously affluent 'Gold Coast' received nearly $4 million in CDBG funding in the last five years and spent it on wasteful projects such as theater arts programming and swimming pool renovations," the proposed budget says.

Trump and his late ex-wife, Ivana Trump, once owned a home in Greenwich. The property last sold in October 2024 for $31.5 million.

First Selectman Fred Camillo was asked about Greenwich's mention in the budget request last Friday during his weekly spot on WGCH's "Ask The First Selectman" with Tony Savino.

Camillo said he was unaware of the reference and laughed when asked about it.

"The president should take a look at his own spending. Greenwich is a AAA-rated town, and we have the lowest mill rate in the state of Connecticut," Camillo said. "He has enough problems going on in front of him and on his plate to worry about a town that's actually run pretty well."

Camillo went on to say, "I'll compare the way our town is run with the way they run an administration any day of the week."

In the Department of Agriculture section under "Program Cuts and Eliminations," the administration notes a request to cut $659 million from Community Facilities Grant Earmarks.

"What was historically a program providing low-cost credit to rural communities has morphed into a pork-barrel spending program for wasteful earmarks to areas that are arguably the least in need. The Budget fixes this, restoring the program to its intended purpose—promoting low-cost lending that is awarded based on objective criteria," the request says.

Notably, the section mentions "$1.6 million for a grant to Waterford, Connecticut, to renovate a theater," which the administration highlighted as an example of a "wasteful earmark."

The section didn't mention the theater by name, but U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) jointly requested $1,588,000 for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center within the last year for renovations to its historic campus.

"Founded in 1964 by George C. White and named in honor of Eugene O’Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and America’s only playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, the O'Neill has launched some of the most important voices and works in American theater and has revolutionized the way new work is developed," the theater's website says.

The president's annual budget is "considered a reflection of the administration’s values and does not carry the force of law. The massive document typically highlights an administration’s priorities, but Congress, which handles federal spending issues, is free to reject it and often does," the Associated Press reported earlier this month.

The budget request seeks $1.5 trillion for national defense for 2027, a 44 percent increase.

"The 2027 Budget builds on the President’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the Federal Government," Budget Director Russell Vought wrote in his director's message. "President Trump promised to reinvest in America’s national security infrastructure, to make sure our Nation is safe in a dangerous world. The 2027 Budget upholds this promise and would ensure that the United States continues to maintain the world’s most powerful and capable military."

Patch reached out to the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and Waterford First Selectman Rob Brule's office for comment.

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