Whether representing a booming urban center, a ritzy suburb, a steel town struggling for growth, or an overtaxed collar county of Chicago, local officials are concerned about the GOP tax plan.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and Alexandria, Virginia Mayor Allison Silberberg stood in front of a gaggle of reporters with the U.S. Capitol looming behind them on Monday, urging Congress to reject a suite of provisions in the House and Senate tax plans that could hurt state and local governments. Bowser ticked off billions of dollars of investment made in the city utilizing bonds that would no longer exist under the House tax proposal, including “historic investments in affordable housing” that has supported veterans and low-income families. The list included everything from public schools, to major revitalization projects, to parks and small businesses.
The briefing mirrored the conversations that local officials across the country are having as they attempt to figure out what the implications of the tax bill for the future of their local governments and residents.
While the District of Columbia itself stands to lose from the bill Congress is writing down the street, beyond the Beltway—both near and far—local governments are scrambling to assess the impact to their communities and impact their ability to govern.
By Mitch Herckis,
Route Fifty Senior Director of Programs
November 16, 2017