Governor Ned Lamont has said he is open to negotiating almost everything in his budget proposal. Well, it seems like lots of people are going to take him up on his offer.State legislators on opposite sides of the political spectrum are panning Lamont's plan to raise more than $500 million by expanding the goods and services subject to the state's sales tax.

Union leaders feel slighted by his call for them to back changes to cost-of-living increases for future retired state workers.

And Lamont's push for highway tolls faces local, state, and federal hurdles.

Meanwhile, the governor's pick to lead the state's economic development efforts, David Lehman, sweated out tough questions Tuesday from Democratic lawmakers. Whether the former Goldman Sachs executive will win confirmation by the state Senate remains uncertain.

This week, we tally up the opposition to the administration's agenda.

We also delve into the concerns over state Sen. Alex Bergstein's paying for an extra legislative aide out of her own pocket. Should she be free to spend her own money in pursuit of better representing her constituents, or is it bad precedent that could give Bergstein an unfair advantage at the state Capitol?

<p>Governor Ned Lamont has said he is open to negotiating almost everything in his budget proposal. Well, it seems like lots of people are going to take him up on his offer.</p>
<div id="div-gpt-ad-medium_2" class="ad ad-medium" data-google-query-id="CNCkocSb3OACFcZowQodrMsMKw">
<div id="google_ads_iframe_/132595048/wnprnews_medium_3_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none;">State legislators on opposite sides of the political spectrum <a href="https://www.ctpost.com/politics/article/Governor-s-budget-applies-sales-tax-to-more-13630360.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are panning</a> Lamont's plan to raise more than $500 million by expanding the goods and services subject to the state's sales tax.</div>
</div>
<p>Union leaders <a href="https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Dan-Haar-Lamont-s-union-ask-is-huge-risk-for-13631313.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feel slighted</a> by his call for them to back changes to cost-of-living increases for future retired state workers.</p>
<p>And Lamont's push for highway tolls faces local, state, and federal hurdles.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the governor's pick to lead the state's economic development efforts, David Lehman, sweated out <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2019/02/26/looney-hedges-on-confirming-david-lehman-to-decd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tough questions Tuesday</a> from Democratic lawmakers. Whether the former Goldman Sachs executive will win confirmation by the state Senate remains uncertain.</p>
<p>This week, we tally up the opposition to the administration's agenda.</p>
<p>We also delve into the concerns over state Sen. Alex Bergstein's <a href="https://www.ctpost.com/politics/article/Bergstein-seeks-ethics-ruling-on-hiring-aide-13642787.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Desktop)&amp;utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paying for an extra legislative aide out of her own pocket</a>. Should she be free to spend her own money in pursuit of better representing her constituents, or is it bad precedent that could give Bergstein an unfair advantage at the state Capitol?</p>

If you’re a news junkie — or maybe just news curious, we’ve got your weekly dose of Connecticut politics, tackling everything from tax cuts to human composting. Amplifying important local and national voices, The Wheelhouse walks listeners through the most important political stories of the week.  You’ll hear from well-known political reporters, academics, and local journalists across Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns.

<p>If you’re a news junkie — or maybe just news curious, we’ve got your weekly dose of Connecticut politics, tackling everything from tax cuts to human composting. Amplifying important local and national voices, <em>The Wheelhouse</em> walks listeners through the most important political stories of the week.  You’ll hear from well-known political reporters, academics, and local journalists across Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns.</p>

Connecticut's best journalists come out of the political trenches every Wednesday to join us on WNPR's weekly news roundtable The Wheelhouse.