As mentioned on Fox 5 Tuesday morning, D.C. residents should listen closely to Vince Gray when he talks about the financial crisis the city is facing, particularly in light of his appointing Bill Clinton’s former budget director to his mayoral transition team.
Gray announced at the Ward 3 town hall last week that Alice Rivlin has joined his transition team, along with former Mayor Anthony Williams. Rivlin’s main experience has been at the federal level. Most recently, she has been working on a task force setup by President Obama to find ways to reduce the federal budget deficit.
When she took the task force job, Rivlin made clear that Americans need to understand the depth of the coming fiscal crisis if deep budget cuts and tax hikes aren’t acted on quickly. According to Politico, the plan Rivlin is expected to soon release is likely to include serious cuts to Social Security.
It’s those types of budget slicing initiatives that Gray is trying to prepare residents for when he talks about an impending $400 million budget gap for the next fiscal year. Residents should now also understand that Rivlin’s presence at the soon-to-be mayor’s side means they should take Gray seriously when he talks about axing city services.
