FEATURED REPORT
State Finances
- February 26, 2021Will essential services need to be cut?

Tax collections have fallen in almost every state due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The damage has not been as severe as initially predicted last spring, when some feared that states would face their worst financial straits since the Great Depression. A rising stock market and high-income earners' ability to work remotely have mitigated the cash crunch.
Better Than Forecast
Cuts vs. Taxes
1972–1986 | Washington provides aid to states, then reverses policy. |
1991–2009 | States face fiscal pressures from rising education and pension costs. |
2010–Present | States face slow recoveries after the Great Recession and the pandemic-related downturn. |
Should Congress provide more aid to states?
Pro
Vice President, State Fiscal Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. |
Con
Executive Vice President, Policy, and Chief Economist and Senior Director, Center for State Fiscal Reform, American Legislative Exchange Council. |
This CQ Reseacher report also contains:
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