About that funny money…
House Democrats released their budget targets today and they're banking on a pot of money that they criticized Governor Pawlenty for using. Democrats are budgeting $408 million in federal Medicaid money that hasn't passed into law yet.
House and Senate Democrats criticized Pawlenty for relying on the funds in his budget plan to help erase a nearly $1 billion budget deficit. DFL Representative Loren Solberg said he's more confident the state can rely on the funds since Congress is poised to pass it.
"When we questioned it, we said 'What's the status of it?' We said 'prove it to us.' We've been in contact and verifying their sources as well. Nothing is guaranteed on this but I feel a lot better about now than I did when the governor first submitted a proposal to us."
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GOP House Minority Leader Kurt Zellers called Democrats hypocrites for ripping Governor Pawlenty for using the unallocated funds but are now relying on the same funds to balance the budget.
"From our standpoint, it's just a lot of hypocrisy. It's a lot of what I would call political jabbing one day or one week and then come back and use some of the same things..."
The targets also call for another $155 million in HHS cuts, $146 million in savings from the General Assistance Medical Care deal and few cuts to early childhood or K12 schools.