From Senator Mike Shower:
Some are asking for comparisons. Here they are from 2019-2021 – importantly however – the 2021 number still lacks the supplemental – which will only increase it. In addition this is before any personal bills pass which generally increase spending – haven’t seen much in the way of reductions in spending legislation though we’ve had many promises of such. Also as I’ve explained previously, we’ve been told there are cooked into the books spending increases we’ve been locked into by previous legislatures & governors (anywhere from $100 to $200 million a year).
The trend is government growth not reduction. Believe what you wish these are the numbers.
From an economics professor compiled from open source state data.
The FY21 budget doesn’t have any supplements yet. So, it’s not a complete number. Comparing it to FY20’s final budget (as some people are doing) is very misleading. Here are the numbers:
FY20 after vetoes = $4.9B
FY20 after supplementals = $5.5B
FY19 after supplements = $5.5B
FY21 to FY20 at same point = +$204M
FY21 after vetoes = $4.9B
FY20 after vetoes = $5.2B
FY21 compared to FY20 at same point = +$361M
FY21 after vetoes = $5.2B
So, yes – The FY21 budget so far is $305 million below what we spent in FY20. $218 million of those reductions happened by veto and not legislative action. And, we don’t know what FY21 final will be until the supplementals come in. I’m guessing it will be more than the $305M.
Anyone claiming credit for making budget cuts in FY21 is lying. First, we don’t know that any cuts will stick after the supplementals hit. Second, the vast majority of the current reduction is from the governor’s vetoes. By all objective measures, FY21 saw a budget increase to date and is on track to exceed FY20 spending.
Link to Senator Shower’s posting of this above:
