ST. PAUL -- It took little time for Democrats and Republicans to find a $387 million hole in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's plan to plug a $1.2 billion budget gap.
Pawlenty said on Monday that money would be saved if funds in a federal health-care reform bill are approved. However, fellow Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline, who serves a district east and south of the Twin Cities, said today he has questions about whether that bill will win approval this year.
Kline is a top House Republican on health care and is due to meet Feb. 25 on the subject with President Barack Obama.
Pawlenty on Monday said that if the federal money does not come through, he would have to take another look at his budget cuts.
Ironically, while Pawlenty tells cities and counties they need to rely less on state funding, nearly a third of his budget fix relies on federal funds.
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"I've never seen a budget that relies on something the federal government might do," Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, said.
The federal money would replace state funds that pay for health-care for some poor Minnesotans.
Also today, Democrats revealed that Pawlenty actually would cut higher education budgets $53 million instead of the $47 million he said a day earlier. The difference is that Pawlenty did not mention cuts in student financial aid in his Monday announcement.
