HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo held a press conference Tuesday to address confusion surrounding the county’s budget deficit, which she placed at $220 million. She presented documents outlining expenditures that add up to the deficit and detailed which budget recommendations were not followed.
Hidalgo said the claim that the deficit has been reduced to $48 million is inaccurate, pointing out that Commissioners Court has yet to finalize any cuts and will not do so until the September 9 meeting. She accused some commissioners of using “doublespeak,” such as calling cuts “efficiencies” or “vacancy control.”
Hidalgo said the current proposal relies on $64 million in one-time funding, which she described as unsustainable. She warned that this approach postpones cuts to critical services, including emergency response, domestic violence programs, mental health diversion, foster care support, rental assistance, and homelessness prevention.
She also criticized a proposed countywide hiring freeze, saying it amounts to a “workforce wipe out” that would leave essential departments, such as forensic sciences and public health clinics, short-staffed.
Hidalgo emphasized that she will not support a budget that reduces vital services, calling the current approach “political pandering during election season at the cost of taxpayers.” She urged residents to pay close attention as the September 9 Commissioners Court meeting approaches, stating that cuts are inevitable and should be presented transparently to the public.
