Here’s the Governor’s Latest List of Cuts He Claims to Have Made

Governor John Bel Edwards is hoping to work with lawmakers to address the fiscal cliff. He says our state will be $1 billion dollars in the hole once the 1 penny temporary sales tax goes off the books on July 1st.

Edwards recently sent a letter to members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

"The 2018-2019 budget proposal was based on a projected $1 billion budget shortfall due to the expiration of temporary taxes."

Edwards adds:

During that hearing, I testified that my administration had made more than $600 million in spending cuts since taking office in January 2016. Many of you have taken issue with the inclusion of a delayed hospital payment in that list. If we had not cut the payment, services provided by the state would have to be reduced by $152 million with only half a year remaining. It would have impacted many services that the legislature tries to fund. That said, I providing you with a more comprehensive list of cuts that my administration has made across state government. These cuts exceed $600 million. While we can argue the definition of a cut, I am using it in its simplest fonn — a reduction in state general fund (SGF) that resulted in a reduction or elimination of services.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL LETTER FROM THE GOVERNOR

During a fiery discussion about the cuts, the Governor told Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt "I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you,"

"That's insulting," shot back Hewitt, who is considering running for governor against Edwards in 2019.

The Governor's Office also sent out this memo explaining the cuts:

KEEL News has talked to several lawmakers and they expect the Governor to call them into special session.