It doesn’t. The Washington Recovery Agenda’s call for new revenue already includes the assumption that a new Congress will finally provide more aid to state and local governments. Even that assumption is tenuous - negotiations on further COVID relief are ever-changing, it’s unlikely that help would arrive before March, and even then it’s not a guarantee that sizable state aid would make it through a hairline Democratic majority in the Senate.
In reality it will take more than $2.5 billion to fully support Washington's economic recovery - some estimates are as high as $9 billion - including significant action at the federal level. But $2.5 billion in new investments is the minimum down payment state lawmakers need to make to begin driving economic growth. Struggling Washington workers, families, and small businesses can’t afford to wait for short-term federal action. There’s no guarantee how quickly federal aid will arrive and if it will be in place for the length of our recovery or just for the worst of the crisis. Waiting to find out would be disastrous for people and businesses all over the state. Even once federal aid arrives, it will only provide a bridge to recovery - a temporary stopgap dwarfed by the enormous need. It’s on us to ensure our long term recovery, and economic resiliency, in the future.
Further, it’s critical to understand that COVID merely toppled an economy left fragile by decades of trickle-down economic policies that grew wealth for those at the top at the expense of everyone else, leaving millions of workers and families in the margins. To fully recover our economy it’s not enough to return to a status quo - we have to address the structural problems that primed us for this crisis in the first place. That means addressing inequities in our tax system and making intentional investment decisions to make sure those who have been left behind in our economy aren’t left behind in our recovery. Because no matter how much aid the federal government might send, if we don’t do those things then we’ll just be keeping whole systemic inequity and retaining a fragile economy to go along with it. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do for our economy.