OLYMPIA, Wash. – Gov. Christine Gregoire now says the projected shortfall in the current two-year budget is at $2 billion, and she says raising taxes to help pay for it is a possibility.
It's the first time we've heard this figure from Gregoire, who will have to tackle the problem with the Legislature in January.
"We're now looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of probably two or greater more billion dollars in cuts and savings that we're going to have to make. So, you look at that overall and that's $11 billion in a span of two years and the entire budget is a $31 billion dollar budget. So, we've lost one-third of our revenue to sustain our state budget," said Gregoire. "And, it's not just about numbers.
Behind every one of those dollars is a school child, a kid trying to go to the university, a family trying to make a go of it or a senior citizen who needs a nursing home. So, those numbers are real dramatic and behind them are real human beings."
The last session, facing a $9 billion gap, she said it was no time to raise taxes. Now, she says she willing to listen.
"We've never had this kind of economic issue facing this state since the Great Depression," said Gregoire. "We've got families now who can't afford to put food on their table or keep a roof over their heads. So, I have made it clear, now, that if people have some creative, innovative idea about how we can get through this most difficult time, we have to think about it. We have to talk about it."
