Jolt
Quote of the Day: Rep. Ross Hunter Gets Candid About Republican Counterproposal
We don't have a winner or loser today, but we've got a Jolt-worthy quote.
Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48, Medina), chair of the house ways and means committee (pictured above with his Democratic senate colleague Sen. Ed Murray), got a little agitated today when we suggested that the Republican budget does better for K-12 education than his own proposal.
Hunter's zinger: "It's not that they care about education more, it's that they care less about poor people," he told us, as he was heading into the house chambers.
Hunter was referring to the fact that yes, the ranking GOPer on the house ways and means committee, Rep. Gary Alexander's (R-20, Olympia) proposal funds K-12 education at a higher level than Hunter's proposal—about $11 million more (view a comparison here). But Hunter attributes it to the fact that the Republicans decimate social services.
Alexander's budget achieves the higher spending mainly by pumping $35 million into a K-3 class-size reduction fund. Higher education doesn't fare so well under the Republican proposal. It cuts $547 million versus the $472 million cut under the Democrats' proposal.
When it comes to social services, Hunter's budget spares the Basic Health Program—a subsidized insurance plan for 65,000 poor Washingtonians—and continues funding for the state-only food assistance program. The Republican budget cuts both those programs completely. When it's all tallied up, the Hunter proposal cuts $296 million less from state health care programs than does Alexander's proposal , but still cuts a whopping $582 million from programs in the health care sector.
Alexander's budget also cuts $63 million from the elimination of the state's food assistance program (Hunter's budget cuts $30 million from the program). Alexander's budget does, however, not make as steep of cuts in long-term care and developmental disability programs.
We have a call in to Rep. Gary Alexander to see if he wants to make a run at his own own quote of the day.
Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48, Medina), chair of the house ways and means committee (pictured above with his Democratic senate colleague Sen. Ed Murray), got a little agitated today when we suggested that the Republican budget does better for K-12 education than his own proposal.
Hunter's zinger: "It's not that they care about education more, it's that they care less about poor people," he told us, as he was heading into the house chambers.
Hunter was referring to the fact that yes, the ranking GOPer on the house ways and means committee, Rep. Gary Alexander's (R-20, Olympia) proposal funds K-12 education at a higher level than Hunter's proposal—about $11 million more (view a comparison here). But Hunter attributes it to the fact that the Republicans decimate social services.
Alexander's budget achieves the higher spending mainly by pumping $35 million into a K-3 class-size reduction fund. Higher education doesn't fare so well under the Republican proposal. It cuts $547 million versus the $472 million cut under the Democrats' proposal.
When it comes to social services, Hunter's budget spares the Basic Health Program—a subsidized insurance plan for 65,000 poor Washingtonians—and continues funding for the state-only food assistance program. The Republican budget cuts both those programs completely. When it's all tallied up, the Hunter proposal cuts $296 million less from state health care programs than does Alexander's proposal , but still cuts a whopping $582 million from programs in the health care sector.
Alexander's budget also cuts $63 million from the elimination of the state's food assistance program (Hunter's budget cuts $30 million from the program). Alexander's budget does, however, not make as steep of cuts in long-term care and developmental disability programs.
We have a call in to Rep. Gary Alexander to see if he wants to make a run at his own own quote of the day.
