Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency taking a chainsaw to federal spending.

Could it work in Connecticut? Some Republicans want to find out.

House GOP leaders unveiled a “Reality Check Budget” on Thursday that slashes the size of state government. But Democrats dismissed it as a “political statement” that will hurt teachers and law enforcement.

DOGE claims it has already slashed $160 billion in federal spending. That’s far short of the promised $2 trillion, but has still resulted in 121,000 layoffs, according to a CNN analysis.

Now, Republican lawmakers want to shrink the size of government in Hartford.

“Government has gotten kind of fat, and I think it’s time to trim,” said state Rep. Tammy Nuccio (R-Tolland).

The House GOP’s budget cuts state agency spending by 5% across the board and eliminating 17 deputy commissioners. State worker salaries would also be frozen for two years – including state lawmakers.

The plan also eliminates HUSKY Medicaid for undocumented immigrants, imposes a $250 annual fee on electric vehicle owners and raises commuter rail and bus fares.

In all, GOP leaders estimate the savings at more than half-a-billion dollars over two years.

“The taxpayers are going to love this budget,” said state Rep. Vin Candelora (R-North Branford), the House Minority Leader. “The people that aren’t going to love this budget are the prisoners, the illegal immigrants and the government bureaucrats."

Republicans are also proposing much smaller increases for the University of Connecticut and Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. They said those schools should tap into their large reserve funds instead.

In exchange for the cuts, Republicans are offering various possible tax cuts – including meals and sales taxes.

They also want to eliminate a quarter of the Public Benefits Charge on electric bills, which could save customers up to $20 a month. That charge pays for energy assistance and conservation programs, as well as EV charging infrastructure. GOP leaders propose moving those costs to the state budget and long-term borrowing.

Doctors would also get $137 million in additional Medicaid reimbursements and local schools would receive $84 million each year for spiraling special education costs.

Top Democrats called the plan a last-minute political gimmick.

“It’s like a mini-DOGE. That was the goal it seems – to just lay off every state agency, never give them a raise,” said House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford). “It’s not the most serious document I’ve ever seen, so we’ll probably have to write this one off and move on.”

Musk’s DOGE cuts have led to widespread protests, and could punch a $1 billion hole in Connecticut’s finances.

“That’s not really working in Washington. Can’t see that it’s going to work in Connecticut either,” said House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford). “Giving raises to Department of Corrections officers, giving raises to public health professionals, giving raises to state teachers. We want to take away raises to from all those people?”

Candelora accused Democrats of fearmongering.

“We don’t have layoffs in our budget, so that is a misstatement,” he told reporters. “Yes, we’re calling for a wage freeze. But you can’t ignore the fact that our employees have gotten 33% wage hikes in the last five years.”

State employee contracts expire this summer. Republicans said they are willing to suspend arbitration to force the concessions.

For their part, Democrats advanced a budget that offers middle-class parents a tax credit – but pays for it with a new capital gains tax on millionaires.

“Capital gains tax, hospital tax. We're trying to cut the film tax credit, the unitary tax,” said state Rep. Joe Polletta (R-Watertown). “Everything’s a tax. Not one talk about cutting spending.”

The Democrat-led Appropriations Committee budget also exceeds the state spending cap.

Now, lawmakers must reach a budget deal with Gov. Ned Lamont, who insisted that he will not support any new taxes – even on the wealthy.

Lamont's office suggested the GOP proposal is unrealistic.

“At first glance, there appears to be vague cuts, such as agency operating expenses with no details and unrealistic staffing savings,” said Lamont spokesman Rob Blanchard.