Statement: Oklahoma should use Rainy Day Fund to ease mid-year cuts

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to state officials announcing even deeper mid-year budget cuts to all state agencies:

Cumulative 7 percent across-the-board cuts to Oklahoma’s state agencies will be disastrous for schools, health care providers, public safety officers, and most importantly the ordinary citizens who rely on these services. Oklahoma can ease the cuts to core services by using part of the Rainy Fund that is set aside only for mid-year shortfalls. This safeguard was responsibly used the last two times that the state faced large mid-year budget shortfalls in 2002 and 2010. State leaders owe it to Oklahomans to use part of the Rainy Day Fund now to buy time while they develop a strategy for increasing revenues to make it through this downturn and beyond.