Governor Beshear Exaggerates Spending Cuts
At the conclusion of his disastrous special session, Governor Beshear announced that he actually planned on trimming spending further than his original proposal.
Yesterday, the administration announced that new cuts would equal 4% to some agencies, smaller percentages to others, and no cuts to most government spending:
The result is that cuts for most state agencies, which Beshear intends to implement next week, will be 4 percent instead of 2.6 percent.
Budget Director Mary Lassiter briefed the legislature's interim budget committee on the move Thursday.
Lassiter said the priority areas will still be spared from cuts. And she said a few programs that had been targeted for 2.6 percent cuts will get some relief.
Programs in the Health and Family Services Cabinet will be cut by 1 percent. And three areas -- vocational-technical schools, adult education and environmental protection -- will not be cut.
Indeed, most of government will not face a 4% cut. In addition to the areas mentioned above -- the Health and Family Services Cabinet, vocational-technical schools, adult education and environmental protection -- the Governor has also said he would leave the government's biggest budgets alone:
Mary Lassiter, state budget director, told the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue that most state agencies will see a four percent cut with the exception of the main funding formula for K-12 education, universities, the Medicaid program, mental health services, the state police and other programs such as Kentucky Educational Television.
So here's the list of what does not face a 4% cut:
- the main funding formula for K-12 education
- universities
- the Medicaid program
- mental health services
- the state police
- Kentucky Educational Television
- the Health and Family Services Cabinet
- vocational-technical schools
- adult education
- environmental protection
This list of exemptions probably accounts for over 80% of all state spending. If you're only cutting 4% of 20% of the budget, that's only a 0.8% cut - a trifle.
Either way, with all of these exemptions, it hardly merits the headline:
