In his state of the state address on Monday, Governor David Ige is expected to outline a plan for solving Hawaii’s nearly $2 billion budget shortfall. That spending plan will have to be passed by the state legislature, which has several options to plug the hole.
The main task facing state lawmakers this session will be to plug the $1.8 billion hole in Hawaii’s budget. Leadership signaled a reluctance to accomplish that through raising taxes.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government's deficit in the first three months of the budget year was a record-breaking $572.9 billion, 60.7% higher than the same period a year ago, as spending to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic surged while revenue declined.
WASHINGTON — The federal budget deficit hit an all-time high of $3.1 trillion in the 2020 budget year, more than double the previous record, as the coronavirus pandemic shrank revenues and sent spending soaring.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government's war against the coronavirus is imposing the heaviest strain on the Treasury since America's drive to defeat Nazi Germany and imperial Japan three-quarters of a century ago.
Martin Falbisoner / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
WASHINGTON — The federal government, which ended the 2019 budget year with its largest deficit in seven years, began the new budget year with a deficit in October that was 33.8% bigger than a year ago as spending hit a record.
The State Legislature did not provide additional funding this session for the University of Hawai’i Cancer Center which is operating with an annual 13-million dollar deficit. As HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports, the center will be a top priority when lawmakers meet next year, because the state stands to lose much more than a research facility.