June 4th, 2010

From The Philadelphia Inquirer:

HARRISBURG – Gov. Rendell said thousands of state and local government jobs would be eliminated if Congress failed to approve legislation that includes nearly a billion dollars in federal Medicaid funding for Pennsylvania.

And even if Washington holds up its end, the governor said, he still expects state layoffs to number in “the hundreds.”

Speaking to reporters after his first budget meeting with legislative leaders this year, Rendell said that without federal funding, the budget hole, which already stands at $1.2 billion, would widen to more than $2 billion.

“There is no way we can cut that amount of dollars without significant layoffs,” said Rendell, adding that job losses would eventually include not only state workers but also teachers, county employees, and local police and firefighters, all of whose paychecks depend in part on state funding.
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