The budget proposed by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray increases spending of local dollars by $300 million even as Gray talks about the tough choices he’s made in proposing cuts to human services spending and raising taxes on the wealthy. “To suggest there’s a world of pain being imposed on people is an absolute joke,” at-large D.C. Councilman David Catania said Wednesday during a council hearing on Gray’s proposal. The majority of council members praised Gray for presenting a balanced budget without “gimmicks,” a veiled reference to the budgets proposed by former Mayor Adrian Fenty that often relied on one-time revenue sources, fee increases and use of the city’s savings. But the other council members’ attitudes didn’t sway Catania.
“All the hugging and self-congratulations that’s going on over the tough choices that are being made — they’re not being made,” Catania said.
