Dunleavy promises budget cuts that could devastate Alaska

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is now saying he wants a balanced budget right away, echoing the remarks of his imported budget director from Outside.

If he is serious about cutting $1.5 billion from state spending next summer—give or take a few hundred million—Alaska Republicans will no longer have the luxury of hiding behind the “right-size government” mantra.

And this will make life difficult for himself, the Legislature, local governments, school districts and everyone who lives in Alaska.

The claim from Tuckerman Babcock, the governor’s chief of staff, that Dunleavy promised cuts of this magnitude during his campaign is nonsense.

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