Mayor Fenty’s Proposed Cuts Fall too Heavily on the Poor

A major element in Mayor Fenty’s proposal for closing DC’s recently announced budget shortfall includes budget cuts that fall heavily on programs affecting DC’s low-income residents – the very residents that are struggling the most during this economic downturn.

Cuts to programs affecting low-income residents total $52 million – more than half of the $99 million in proposed cuts.  Yet these programs only make up about 30 percent of DC’s budget.  In addition, the low-income cuts are more than three times as large as the cuts to any other area of the budget (see figure 1).

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What’s on the chopping block? Rental assistance, neighborhood economic development, adoption subsidies, and financial assistance to grandparents taking care of grandchildren, just to name a few.  Some of the deepest cuts were made to DC’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program – a program that provides financial assistance to low-income families with children –  and to adult literacy and workforce development, areas of the budget that have long been overlooked and underfunded in the District.  With the large increase in DC’s unemployed residents – nearly 15,000 in just one year – and the increased demand for public assistance, cuts to these programs will be particularly painful for DC’s neediest families.

It’s a tough job to balance a budget in the midst of an economic downturn.  DC’s revenue collections are down, but because of the economic downturn, the need for assistance is rising.  So how can officials create a balanced budget that doesn’t rely disproportionately on cuts to programs for low-income residents?

Part of the solution is using DC’s rainy day fund – a $330 million fund that can be used for budget shortfalls – and fixing the onerous payback rules which require us to replenish what we take out within two years.  The Mayor has proposed using $125 million of the rainy day fund, but hasn’t addressed the payback rules.

Another part of the solution is raising revenues.  DC’s budget shortfalls are almost entirely a result of falling revenues from the economic downturn – not from increased spending.  The Mayor’s proposal only includes one $7 million revenue increase.  This solves just five percent of the FY 2010 budget gap.  A fairer approach would be to balance revenue increases with expenditure cuts.

Relying on these principles can help DC officials create a balanced budget that protects the safety net for DC’s most vulnerable residents.