Shannon: State Must Prepare for Federal Budget Cuts

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. T.W. Shannon said last week he will be conducting a legislative study to examine contingency plans for scenarios in which state agencies lose federal funding due to potential federal budget cuts.

“We can no longer wait for the federal government to lead,” said Shannon, R-Lawton. “We have to be ready to self-sustain core services and deal with potential cuts. State agencies are addicted to federal spending. We need to tailor agency spending to ensure core government services remain unaffected. If we are to have major reform in this country, it will have to come from the states.”

Shannon’s goal will be to require every state agency to develop a contingency plan for when cuts occur, he said.

“When the federal government is spending in such an unsustainable way, it is likely that our funding will cease to exist at current levels,” said Shannon. “The federal government is now borrowing $1 of every $2 it spends. Our national deficit reached $16 trillion this year. It is inevitable that states will experience drastic cuts at some future date. The spending level is not sustainable.”

Shannon said he will release more details of the study, which will take place in October, at a future date.