The Norman Transcript

State/Region

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December 7, 2012

Fallin: States need flexibility for cliff

The Associated Press Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said Thursday the state will feel the impact of the federal fiscal cliff’s combination of deep spending cuts and tax hikes and urged officials to give states more flexibility in how they spend federal revenue to deal with the consequences.

Two days after Fallin and other members of the National Governor’s Association’s executive committee met with President Barack Obama and other federal officials, Fallin said the nation’s governors need more flexibility in how they allocate federal funds if spending cuts kick in early in 2013.

“We told the president that we as states understand that we have to reduce our deficit. And we are in support of that,” Fallin said.

But if federal spending cuts go into effect, states need flexibility from federal mandates about how the remaining federal money they receive can be spent to avoid interruptions of vital public services like education and health care.

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