Members of Congress may want to take heed of Kansas's failed tax-cutting experiment. That's the advice of a national fiscal policy analyst who's studied it.
Michael Leachman, with the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, is wary of claims from President Trump and Republican congressional leaders that their tax cuts will stimulate economic growth.
He says their plan is similar in many respects to the one Gov. Brownback promised would be a "shot of adrenaline" to the Kansas economy.
Leachman says that jolt didn't materialize because revenues crashed, forcing reductions in state investments.
“[State] investments that provide a foundation for a strong economy and a high quality of life,” Leachman says.
Investments in things like public schools, universities, and highways.
Leachman says the cuts Trump is proposing could doom any chance he has of rebuilding the nation's crumbling infrastructure as promised.
--
Jim McLean is managing director of KMUW's Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KMUW, Kansas Public Radio and KCUR covering health, education and politics in Kansas. Follow him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.
