Manchin Calls for 2 percent Cut to Proposed W.Va. Budget

Gov. Joe Manchin has asked his cabinet departments _ and the rest of state government _ to find ways to cut 2 percent from the portions of the proposed budget funded by general revenue and the lottery, The Associated Press reports.

The governor has written the "Legislature, Supreme Court and fellow elected executive branch officers" as "missed revenue forecasts and other signs of the recession" prompt his administration to re-examine the state's fiscal picture, the article said.

Manchin proposed a (balanced) budget last month for the year that begins July 1, and it reflects $4.4 billion in spending from lottery profits and general revenue taxes and fees. A 2 percent cut to the general revenue share would equal about $80 million, and $10 million to lottery revenues.

But Manchin "also says he wants to avoid making the cut across-the-board," AP reports.

Update: MetroNews talks to Manchin about the state's revenue forecasts.