CHARLESTON,WV— Today, Governor Jim Justice informed West Virginia families that the Republican-led legislature doesn’t want to come clean about the specific budget cuts they are planning. Justice said that the GOP budget cuts will be so painful they want to “cut and run” — make the cuts and then run for the hills.

Justice highlighted how much pain would be inflicted to West Virginians if the Republicans follow through on their pledge to cut at least $50 million from the Medicaid Program under the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR). He stressed that GOP lawmakers haven’t offered specific cuts because they don’t want to level with West Virginians on exactly who will be on the chopping block.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DIFFERENT MEDICAID CUT SCENARIOS: DHHRPDF.pdfDHHRPDF.pdf

“The Republicans don’t want to share the concrete specifics of their budget cuts because they know how much they’ll hurt people,” said Governor Jim Justice. “The other side says they want to cut at least $50 million from Medicaid so they should man up and tell the people what they are doing. Playing these kind of political shell games is what created this budget crisis, and it’s not right.”

Justice called the total projected GOP cuts of $150 million a fantasy. As reported by the Gazette-Mail, the real cuts are closer to $267 million. For example, a $50 million cut to Medicaid is at least $185 million dollar cut when factoring in the federal match rate.

Following his remarks, Governor Justice ordered the emergency lantern on the top of the Capitol dome be turned on until the budget crisis is resolved. The Governor said it would be a full scale emergency for the state’s most vulnerable citizens who count on programs funded through DHHR.

Also, the Governor sent a letter to Speaker Tim Armstead and Senate President Mitch Carmichael honoring their request for further clarification on his budget adjustments. Click here to see it: 20170321091301504.pdf20170321091301504.pdf