Iowa State Sen. Janet Petersen has released the following statement regarding the March release of the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference.
“Republican lawmakers have made an unprecedented mess of the state’s budget,” Sen. Janet Petersen (D-Des Moines) said. “Iowa’s revenues aren’t rebounding as Republicans promised. In fact, Iowa is facing back-to-back years of historic revenue declines. Not even during the farm crisis did Iowans see revenue drops like this.”
“The majority party’s corporate tax giveaways and private school vouchers are a drain on our budget,” Sen. Petersen said. “Instead of correcting course, Republicans are putting the squeeze on taxpayers: starving public schools, taxing Iowans’ health insurance, and cutting services for children and Iowans with disabilities.”
“Single-party control of the state budget got Iowans into this mess,” Sen. Petersen said. “With another billion-dollar deficit on the horizon, Republican lawmakers can’t keep burying their heads in the sand. If we don’t change direction quickly, the majority party will march Iowans right off the fiscal cliff.”
Sen. Petersen is the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.