Apr 23, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Kansas governor: "We are waiting to see" on coronavirus bailout for states

Rashaan Ayesh

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly told Axios' Kim Hart on Thursday that her state is currently "waiting to see" what type of coronavirus bailout the federal government will offer state and local governments.

The state of play: Kelly said her state is looking at a billion-dollar deficit over the next two fiscal years on education. "We also know it's likely the federal government will be providing a stimulus package for state and local governments and we are waiting to see what that looks like," she said

The big picture: State and local tax revenues are falling as spending on unemployment and medical obligations spikes, which could be particularly harmful to heavily tax-reliant states such as Florida and Louisiana.

The state of play: Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) have proposed a $500 billion fund for state and local governments to be included in Congress' next coronavirus rescue package.

Funding for state and local governments was part of Democrats' push during the latest interim spending battle, though it was ultimately not included in the package that replenished the coronavirus stimulus' fund for small businesses.

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Kansas governor: "We are waiting to see" on coronavirus bailout for states

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