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Photo/Ted Eytan. Used with permission.

Executive Director Yesim Taylor featured on WAMU

July 12, 2017
  • D.C. Policy Center

On July 12th, Executive Director Yesim Taylor was quoted by WAMU in “No, WalletHub: D.C. Is Not The Worst-Run City In The U.S. (And Comparing It To Other Cities Is Hard.)“:

“One of the reasons the District always looks bad is because we’re both a city and a state. Most cities don’t do welfare, but focus on what’s considered local services: police, education, garbage collection, so not that many services,” said Yesim Sayin Taylor, the executive director of the D.C. Policy Center and a former staff member of the D.C. Office of the Chief Financial Officer. D.C., however, is a city that also carries out county- and state-level functions.

“Our portfolio is very broad. This is why the city’s per-capita spending is very high. It’s really important to keep that in mind,” Taylor said.

The D.C. Council recently approved a $13.8 billion budget for 2018. If that amount is divided by the city’s population — 681,170 as of the end of 2016 — it looks like the city spends $20,259 per person. That’s high.

But, as Taylor points out, you have to subtract the $3.3 billion D.C. is taking in from the federal government for Medicaid and other federal grants. Across the country, that money is handled at the state level, but since D.C. isn’t a state, the funds get wrapped into the city’s annual budget. Without the $3.3 billion factored in, per-capita spending drops to $15,644 per person.

You can read the full article here.

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D.C. Policy Center


Established in 2016, the D.C. Policy Center is a non-partisan research and policy organization committed to advancing policies for a strong and vibrant economy in the District of Columbia. Through rigorous research and collaboration, the D.C. Policy Center develops and tests policy ideas, disseminates its findings, and engages in constructive dialogue and debate.

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