Gov. Matt Blunt (R) used his Jan. 15 address to recommend spending an additional $400 million on health care and education, while cutting tens of millions in taxes.
The centerpiece proposals of his speech to the Republican-controlled Legislature were a $348 million program to insure low- and middle-income working parents, and more than $137 million for the state’s replacement program for Medicaid.
In all, Blunt’s budget would add up to the largest budget in state history and would increase spending at a rate double the expected rise in revenues. The increases are a reversal for the governor, who slashed Medicaid spending during his first year in office and removed more than 90,000 people from the state’s health-care rolls.
A week after Blunt gave his address, he shocked many when he announced he will not seek election for a second term. He was facing a tough race against Attorney General Jay Nixon (D). Blunt said he achieved virtually everything he set out to accomplish when he ran for governor.
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