DeLaney comments on bleak revenue forecast

Today, April 16, the State Budget Committee met to discuss the state’s Medicaid, economic and revenue forecasts. 

State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis), a non-voting member of the State Budget Committee, issued the following statement on the forecasts: 

“I had caught on to the not-so-subtle posturing from the majority that our budget was going to be ‘tight,’ but this is far beyond what I imagined,” DeLaney said. “We are not prepared to face a $2.4 billion hit over the next three years. We are essentially replacing growth with a flat line. 

“This bad news does not factor in the potential federal budget cuts that hold the power to throw our budget into complete disarray. The unusually high degree of uncertainty coming from Washington hinders our ability to prepare ourselves to serve our people. 

“We knew that we were going to have to tighten our belts, but that does not mean choking the life out of our basic services. Nobody wants a repeat of the Great Recession. Indiana chose to deal with that by undercutting public education and other public services. We must maintain the fundamental functions of government such as funding public schools, repairing roads and keeping communities strong and safe. That benefits every Hoosier. 

“We have one week to update our budget to account for this week’s economic report. With the unpredictability coming out of D.C., I fear that the budget we pass in the next week will not hold up through the summer. 

“The legislature must act responsibly and create a mechanism to address this economic instability. We cannot leave a matter this serious in the hands of the executive branch. My colleagues in the General Assembly need to step up to our role.

“Let’s be honest about this – unless we make some substantial moves in the final week of session, a lot of people are going to be hurt. Avoiding that now falls to the majority.”