Senate Budget: Bold Action Needed
The Senate budget will be released today, three months after the
Governor’s proposal. The Senate version is unlikely to offer a new
vision for solving our state’s historic budget deficit in a way that is
consistent with the state’s values. Rather, it is expected to be a new
version of the same all-cuts strategy.
Our state’s fiscal
problems are too big to be solved with an all-cuts approach. The
lasting damage to Washington families and infrastructure by deep cuts
will harm our ability to recover when the economy bounces back. The
path to a just and equitable society is not paved by dramatic budget
cuts that leave hard working Washingtonians with no health insurance,
ambitious students with less access to college, and people who are
unable to work with few options for financial security.
Instead,
we need leadership from our policymakers that includes bold action on
raising the revenue necessary to invest in education, community,
health, and security. Washington’s households and businesses need these
public investments in order to weather the economic storm and prosper
as the economy recovers.
We'll be posting analysis on schmudget throughout the day, so stay tuned.
