Overspending Catches Up with Lawmakers

Olympia  –  Washington Policy Center had this to say about the Senate's 2009-11 Budget that was released today: The budget deficit lawmakers face is the result of past spending decisions, not because citizens pay too little in taxes.  During the good times state government became badly overextended, increasing permanent spending by 34% in four years.  Such a high rate of spending increase was simply unsustainable, even before the current economic recession.

“The Senate Democrats’ budget underfunds some core public services and relies on temporary one-time funding, while failing to address how the state got into such a deep financial trouble in the first place,” said Paul Guppy, Vice President for Research at Washington Policy Center.

Failure to set clear priorities created a structural spending deficit by locking in past activities, regardless of importance, while leaving more urgent needs unmet.  This results from the Legislature’s habit of “reverse budgeting,” in which routine government activities are funded first while high-priority needs are left in fiscal crisis.  

Legislative leaders are considering sending a tax-increase initiative to the ballot.

“Lawmakers should re-examine the spending commitments they made in past years, rather than considering a tax increase in the middle of a severe recession,” said Guppy.  “Businesses are closing and people are losing their jobs.  Instead of asking for more money, it would be a pleasant change if in this tough economy lawmakers at least said ‘thank you’ for what we’re paying now.”

###