Coronavirus in Oklahoma: Stitt says state agencies may face budget cuts. State lawmakers don't plan to let that happen

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Both Republican and Democratic state lawmakers fired back at Gov. Kevin Stitt after he said Tuesday he believes 1-2% budget cuts are needed to deal with the state’s current revenue shortfall.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and sharp declines in the oil and gas industry, Oklahoma is dealing with a $416 million revenue shortfall for the last three months of the 2020 fiscal year.

On Monday, the House and Senate passed three bipartisan bills that would pull over $500 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to fill the shortfall, getting state agencies through the end of June without budget cuts.

“The position the Legislature stated by veto-proof majorities Monday is not changing,” said House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka. “The Legislature will not authorize cuts to core services during a pandemic response because the public needs its core services right now.”