Governor Steve Beshear has some harsh words for his congressional colleagues’ handling of sequestration in Washington, D.C. As the automatic spending cuts known as sequestration go into effect, Congress’ approval rating hovers at close to 15 percent. At a press conference Friday in Lexington, the governor made it clear where he stands.
"I don't know that there's anybody more disgusted with Washington, D.C. than me right now," he said.
Beshear characterized sequestration as a “meat axe” approach to cutting spending and echoed President Obama’s call for a solution that includes both spending cuts and revenue increases. While the ultimate effects of the across-the-board cuts aren’t yet known, Beshear says he worries about schools in particular.
"It's going to be very damaging to Kentucky if this sequester continues over a long period of time. There's millions and millions of dollars that flow into our education system, our K-12 education system here in Kentucky, our higher education system, that are going to vanish," Beshear cautioned.
If allowed to proceed, sequestration could trim $85 billion from federal spending by Sept. 30.
