This Washington

Governor's New Taxes Budget Still Leaves $1 Billion in Program Cuts

By Josh Feit February 22, 2010

As labor, social service, and education advocates await the state House and Senate budgets—expected tomorrow—it's worth noting, as we have a few times now—that the even the Governor's new budget, which isn't the "all cuts" budget she lamented in December
,  leaves about $1 billion in government programs on the cutting room floor.

The bleeding heart budget wonks over at the Washington Budget & Policy Center have an updated list
of the cuts.

Here's the list:




  • Investments in higher education would be sharply reduced;

  • Voter-approved efforts to reduce class sizes in early grades and improve student achievement would be suspended;

  • Temporary financial and medical assistance through GA-U for people who are unable to work due to disability would be sharply curtailed;.

  • Thousands of working families would lose access to child care assistance;

  • Mental health care funding for low-income residents would be further reduced;

  • Many residents with long-term care needs would lose assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, and dressing;

  • Low-income adults would lose hearing services, including hearing aids;

  • School-based Medicaid services would be suspended;

  • Programs that protect our air and water and clean up toxic spills would be cut;

  • The waiting list for Basic Health, currently over 93,000, would continue to rise.


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