Gray Calls House Approved Spending Cuts 'Devastating' for D.C.

Under House Republican plan, the District would face $80 million in funding cuts from the federal government. District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray released a short statement Saturday calling the House of Representatives cuts "another serious blow" to the District and signaled potential tax increases to cover losses to local agencies.

"We already have revised our budget by hundreds of millions of dollars and face even more severe challenges as we look to Fiscal Year 2012," said Gray. The press release from the Mayor's office indicated the House’s cuts could eliminate services for D.C. residents, specifically mentioning schools reform and funding for HIV/AIDS prevention. 

In light of the new cuts and its impact on an already precarious local budget, Gray indicated that his team would seek out ways to "mitigate cuts" and suggested exploring "ways to raise additional revenue." Though the release did not get into specifics, this "additional revenue" would likely come from new and/or higher taxes.

In a , Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans told Georgetown Patch that the District is "not in a position to pick up what the federal" government cuts and that "whatever we raise is what we get to spend." Though Evans has objected to proposals to raise taxes during recent District budget discussions, warning of suburban flight by current residents. The FY2012 budget process will bring to the forefront these and more issues resulting from federal spending cuts.

The late night House of Representatives session ended early Saturday morning with the passage of the "Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011" by a vote of 235-189 along party lines. The bill called for $60 billion in cuts to federal programs and offices as well as specific cuts to requests and programs in D.C. (To see references to District programs, go to TITLE V--FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT)