NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday June 27, 2009
Republicans Poison the Well with Budget Deal
Funding for Education and Critical Needs
The closed-door budget deal between the Republican Legislature and Governor Jan Brewer includes a long list of fiscally irresponsible measures that will harm Arizona’s children and middle-class families.
The budget deal has been named the worst budget compromise in Arizona’s history. As more details are revealed, the deal is facing a rising tide of opposition from parents, educators, and community leaders.
Here are just some of the problems with the Republicans Budget Deal:
•$220 million in cuts to education
•Cuts in health care funds for children and adults
•Cuts in services for the elderly, disabled, and children with life-threatening conditions
•Tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy
•Tax increase of $438 a year for middle-class families
“Arizona’s middle-class families are facing tough times but the Republican Legislature and the Republican Governor want to advance corporate tax giveaways instead of protecting education and vital services,” says Arizona Democratic Party Executive Director Luis Heredia.
Brewer has refused to cooperate and work on a bipartisan and comprehensive budget solution.
On March 4, Brewer said, “We must have the courage and determination to place workers, employers, families, retirees, students, and young children ahead of politics.”
“A partisan, closed-door budget deal between Republican lawmakers and a Republican Governor is not what Arizona citizens call a solution that is ahead of politics,” said Heredia. “Failed leadership has produced a budget that is balanced on the backs of students and middle-class families. Words were said, promises were broken, looks like politics as usual to me.”