OKLAHOMA CITY_State Rep. T.W. Shannon said
Friday he will be conducting a legislative study to examine contingency plans
for scenarios in which state agencies lose federal funding due to potential
federal budget cuts.
"We can no longer wait for
the federal government to lead," Shannon said,
"we have to be ready to self-sustain core services and deal with potential
cuts. State agencies are addicted to federal spending. We need to tailor agency
spending to ensure core government services remain unaffected. If we are to
have major reform in this country, it will have to come from the states."
Shannon's goal will be to require every state agency to
develop a contingency plan for when cuts occur.
"When the federal government
is spending in such an unsustainable way, it is likely that our funding will
cease to exist at current levels. The federal government is now borrowing $1 of
every $2 it spends. Our national deficit reached $16 trillion this year. It is
inevitable that states will experience drastic cuts at some future date. The
spending level is not sustainable."
Shannon said he will release more details of the study,
which will take place in October, at a future date.
