Rep. Allen Disappointed in Nixon’s Decision to Withhold Funding for the Developmentally Disabled

One of the government’s most important roles is adequately providing for society’s most vulnerable citizens. Unfortunately, Governor Nixon’s priorities on this matter are greatly misguided. After months of touting the value of expanding Medicaid to provide free healthcare for able-bodied and able-minded adults, Governor Nixon withheld $13.8 million for Missourians with developmental disabilities from the budget passed by the General Assembly. Since these funds were withheld and not vetoed, they can be released later at the Governor's discretion.

At the Bar-B-Q the last week of session, Governor Nixon complimented me on the Appropriations Committee’s hard work to better meet the needs of the developmentally disabled community. His decision to turn around and withhold funding for a program he once supported is nothing more than a political move to force the General Assembly to accept his veto on House Bill 253, which lowers the individual and corporate income tax rates in Missouri for the first time in nearly a century.

The Governor claims that House Bill 253 will gut state revenues and force Missouri to cut funding for the developmentally disabled and other state expenditures, but this is greatly exaggerated.  There are ten incremental phases to the tax cut, and state revenue would have to grow by $100 million each year before the next cut could be implemented. This safeguard will prevent any of the dire consequences wrongly predicted by tax cut opponents.

Yet, the Governor is choosing to use the developmentally disabled as pawns to show the harm of revenue cuts that have not yet happened and may never occur. While the Governor plays political games to strong-arm legislators into accepting his agenda, the developmentally disabled community is caught in cross-fire and losing out on needed funding.

The developmentally disabled are among the most vulnerable populations in Missouri. Underfunding a program that supports these individuals in order to achieve a political end is a clear misuse of the budgeting process and places the aims of the Nixon administration ahead of the needs of Missourians.