Norwich — U.S. Sen Chris Murphy said Monday he finds it "outrageous" that President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a climate-change denier to head the federal Environmental Protection Agency and wondered aloud about why someone who regularly flouted labor laws would be chosen to head the Department of Labor.

"There are some real head scratchers in this Cabinet," the Connecticut Democrat said during a business luncheon at the Holiday Inn Norwich attended by about 150 people.

Still, Murphy said during the event, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, that he would give Trump leeway on at least some of his nominees, even if he disagreed with their stances on issues. Though he said he expects a "very tumultuous time in Washington" under Trump, he said he will likely support mainstream Cabinet nominees who have the requisite experience.

"I am going to work with President-elect Trump if he is proposing to do good things," Murphy said.

Murphy said after his speech that his deferential stance toward Trump nominees would not be carried over into the realm of the Supreme Court.

"The Supreme Court is a different standard," he said.

Because the high bench's nominees serve a life term rather than just four years, Murphy said he will pay closer attention to whether their values closely approximate those of his constituents in Connecticut.

Murphy contrasted his support of bipartisanship with statements by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, then the Senate minority leader, who eight years ago promised to make blocking programs proposed by President Barack Obama his top priority.

Murphy noted some areas of agreement with Trump, including the possibility of renegotiating foreign-trade agreements like NAFTA and investing more in the nation's infrastructure. But he worried that Trump's infrastructure program will count largely on private investment, leaving areas like eastern Connecticut out in the cold because investors could not recoup their money in areas with less dense population.

"We need some actual new investment of federal dollars," he said.

Murphy also said he worried about the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, if the Republicans have nothing to replace it. He noted that millions of people nationwide and 250,000 in Connecticut have come to rely on the health-insurance program.

"He's got a fight on his hands," Murphy said, if Trump repeals the law without a replacement plan in place so that people with pre-existing conditions or who cannot afford health insurance otherwise have a place to turn.

Murphy said he would not oppose efforts by Trump and other Republicans to fix the health care act. But he said repeal without a replacement — as some Republicans have been proposing — would be a "disaster," leading to a "downward spiral" as the insurance industry abandons the program.

Responding to a question about an uptick in hate speech since Trump's election, Murphy agreed it is a problem and said the president-elect's name-calling is not helpful.

"His conduct since the election has been juvenile," Murphy said.

l.howard@theday.com