Governor announces ‘dreadful’ budget options

Governor Gregoire held a press conference this morning in which she outlined her preliminary choices for cuts to the state budget in order to address a $2 billion shortfall.  She also presented alternative budget cuts that, together with her preliminary choices, add up to a total of $4.2 billion in budget reduction options, which she described as “dreadful.”

You can find links to complete information about the budget reduction alternatives here.  
 
Some of the governor’s preliminary choices will be included in her 2012 Supplemental Budget proposal, which will likely be released just before Thanksgiving.

The cuts are being proposed as a result of the September revenue forecast, which showed that state revenue collections were down $1.8 billion from what had been anticipated when lawmakers passed a two-year state operating budget last spring.  At today's press conference, the governor noted that the state has already cut the budget by $10.5 billion in the past, and that only about one-third (or $8.7 billion) of the current budget is eligible to cut.

House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan released this statement today in response to the list of proposed budget actions.

More budget information can be found on our website.