Advocates for Poor Gird for Battle Over Proposed Wash. Budget Cuts

The governor has proposed cutting more than $690-million from health and human-service programs. The plan would shrink or eliminate state food and health-care subsidies, shelter programs, and support for people with disabilities, among other steps, according to The Spokesman-Review of Spokane.

Activists say poor people’s lack of political clout make such programs more vulnerable in tough budget times.

“Programs for the poor are often the first on the chopping block, because they’re an easy target,” said Jennifer Sherman, an assistant professor and poverty researcher at Washington State University. “But they’re the ones, in my opinion, who need protection the most.”

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