Governor David Paterson wavers on education cuts due to threat of government shutdown
Sunday, June 13th 2010, 4:00 AM
ALBANY - After weeks of serving up tough talk on the budget, Gov. Paterson Saturday dished out a heaping helping of waffling.
Paterson wavered on whether he would include $1.4 billion in education cuts in next week's emergency spending bill - a gamechanger that many believe could lead to a government shutdown.
"I'm not committing to it, but I'm not taking it off the table," Paterson said in a telephone interview with the Daily News.
"I'm trying to seek input from the Legislature, and I'm trying not to threaten anybody."
Fed up with the Legislature's lack of progress in closing a $9 billion budget gap, Paterson has been including a year's worth of cuts in his weekly emergency spending bills.
The bills are designed to keep the government running until a new budget, now 74 days late, is reached.
Paterson packed $327 million in mental health and social services cuts in the budget
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