Latest news with #budget cuts
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis eyes Manatee County budget as DOGE efforts reach the local level
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put Manatee County front and center on Thursday, July 24, in his effort to impose DOGE-styled, state scrutiny and potentially mandated budget cuts on local governments across the state. The governor touted his new state authority to audit local government spending as part of his push to reduce local property taxes for Florida residents during a press conference in Bradenton. DeSantis said his plan is to begin with local governments such as Manatee County that cooperate with state officials on the the reviews, but added his team is actively looking for legal means to force DOGE-like audits on local governments who resist the effort. He also talked about similar efforts within state agencies and Florida universities. DeSantis created the Florida State Department of Government Efficiency with an executive order in February and directed the task force to reduce government spending by auditing local governments, colleges and universities, modeled on the highly publicized effort at the federal level led by Elon Musk under President Donald Trump. He then worked with leaders in the Legislature to include authority for the Florida State Department of Government Efficiency to conduct DOGE examinations and oversight of local governments in this year's budget. His recent appointee as interim state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia will lead the efforts. The legislation gives his Office of Policy and Budget the authority to review the spending of any local government over the last two years, targeting spending related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; overspending, waste, fraud or abuse; and duplicative or redundant spending. Upon request, local governments must provide access to their personnel and budget experts, its physical premises and its data systems within seven business days. If they don't comply the state can issue $1,000 daily fines for each specific request. "Starting on July 31, our teams... will be using this new authority to conduct reviews of data systems, physical premises and personnel of counties and cities we're identifying as worthy of additional attention paid to spending, taxing and management practice. We'll be doing this through this new authority, which does include access to spending records. "We're here in Manatee County to announce that Manatee County will be the next subject of the DOGE examinations and audits with this newfound state authority," he said. "We've had a lot of feedback, a lot of concerned people who have asked us to take a look at this when they found out this was something that was in the budget." DeSantis eyes Manatee County budget first as DOGE efforts reach local government level Manatee County government is run by a board composed entirely of Republican commissioners who voted to go along with DOGE efforts earlier this year. The county is creating a citizens committee to also involve local residents who are keenly interested in the county budget in the process. Although commissioners largely agree with budget cutting efforts, the decision to start DOGE audits in Manatee also comes at a time of increased tension between local and state officials over their opposing stances on standards for development that could spill into the courtroom. But headed by commissioners who also appear intent on trimming the county budget, Manatee County was among the first Florida counties to agree to the financial review. They voted in May to create the citizen's advisory committee. More in Manatee: Manatee County approves sharp increase in impact fees for growth, angering developers DeSantis praised Manatee County for cutting its property tax rate in recent years, but said that concerns have been raised about county spending nonetheless. He said Manatee County tax receipts have gone up 86% over the past six fiscal years, amounting to $213 million in increased property tax collections, while the population has only grown by about 14%. "There is some dissonance there," DeSantis said. The governor also criticized Manatee County for "bogarting" a large sum of reserves, which he estimated at $734 million. "Look we run budget surpluses in Florida, we've maxed out the rainy day fund, but there's also a point at which we shouldn't just be bogarting money," DeSantis said. "We want to give back, we want to give back to taxpayers." DeSantis criticized local governments for taking advantage of increasing property values as a means for collecting more taxes from residents instead of lowering tax rates. "We do appreciate lower millage rates, and I know taxpayers do appreciate it, but you also have to look at where is that assessment going," he said. "There is a world where the millage rate being lower you still will pay more net taxes if they assess your property high enough." First-year Manatee County Commissioner Carol Felts told the Herald-Tribune that the board is ready to embrace calls for a trimmer budget. The board also recently voted to increase impact fees on new development as a way to offset the tax burden on local residents. "This is a new board, mostly, and we're just getting into our budget sessions," Felts said, referring to new members on the board from last year's elections. "We've proposed several things that fold into the governors mission, but we just haven't really had the chance to make those moves yet. So a lot of what we may be going through may be more of a reflection on our previous eight to 10 years because we haven't really had the chance to get in there and dig yet. "I think that if we focus on prioritizing we can fit our budget to first take care of our essentials, then take care of our promised concurrency, then look at what we need," she said. "If that means we have to cut on the niceties, I think we've got a public out there that says, 'I would rather have a safe road to drive on,' than say, 'My family was in a wreck on the way to a splash pad.'" Counties, cities, school boards and Florida's special districts collected more than $55 billion in property taxes last year – more than double what was collected in 2014. It's 46% higher than the amount taken in statewide just four years ago, state records show. While state Republican leaders have criticized increases in local spending, local governments cited key services such as law enforcement and fire protection, among others, for driving costs. This article includes material from USA TODAY Network archives. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces DOGE audit for Manatee County Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PBS, NPR And Public Media Set To Lose Federal Funding As Package Of Spending Cuts Clears Congress
UPDATED, with additional comments: PBS, NPR and public stations are facing the loss of $1.1 billion in federal funding, as the House cleared final passage of a package of cuts likely to alter the landscape of public media. The House voted 216 to 213 early Friday for the so-called rescissions package, which was sent to Congress at the request of President Donald Trump. The $9 billion in cuts also include rollbacks in funding to foreign aid and health programs. The package will now go to the White House for Trump's signature. More from Deadline How Public Media Lost The Federal Funding Battle, And What Happens Next To Stations, NPR And PBS Donald Trump Says He Plans To Sue Rupert Murdoch, And The Wall Street Journal Over Jeffrey Epstein Story - Update Ken Burns Calls Trump's Federal Funding Cuts To Public Broadcasting "So Shortsighted" The move will leave the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity set up by Congress to distribute funds to public media outlets, with zeroed out federal funding for the first time since it was formed in 1967. The rescinded money had already been allocated by Congress for the next two fiscal years, starting on April 1. Katherine Maher, the president and CEO of NPR, said that the funding cuts were 'an unwarranted dismantling of beloved local civic institutions, and an act of Congress that disregards the public will.' 'Despite promises from some members of Congress to fix anything the bill breaks, this will be an irreversible loss,' she said. 'If a station doesn't survive this sudden turn by Congress, a vital stitch in our American fabric will be gone for good.' She said that 'with support from listeners and readers in communities around the nation,' they 'will work to rebuild.' Public media advocates, PBS producers and personalities, station managers and viewers and listeners have been lobbying congressional representatives in recent weeks to preserve the funding, pointing to the unique mandate of the non-commercial outlets to provide educational, cultural and local programming, among other content. But Trump has targeted PBS and NPR, and their news programming in particular, as biased toward the left. That has long been a common complaint on the right, but the president this time around threatened to withhold support or endorsements from any lawmakers who did not support the package. 'Here's the truth: If this rescissions packages was not put forth and passed by Congress, taxpayer dollars would still be funneled to ideologues at PBS and NPR,' said Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC). But Democrats said that funding for public media and foreign aid were being sacrificed after Republicans pushed through the centerpiece of Trump's legislative agenda, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the tax and spending legislation, which passed earlier this month, will add more than $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. Republicans 'blow up the budget for billionaires and then they nickel and dime everyone else to pretend that they care about the debt and deficit,' said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA). 'It's nuts.' Advocates had hoped to win over enough Republicans to defeat the measure. Only two, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) joined with all Democrats in voting against it. Two other Republicans, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), voted for the rescissions after voting against them when the bill first came before the House last month. After the vote, Trump posted on Truth Social, 'HOUSE APPROVES NINE BILLION DOLLAR CUTS PACKAGE, INCLUDING ATROCIOUS NPR AND PUBLIC BROADCASTING, WHERE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR WERE WASTED. REPUBLICANS HAVE TRIED DOING THIS FOR 40 YEARS, AND FAILED….BUT NO MORE. THIS IS BIG!!!' Best of Deadline The Movies That Have Made More Than $1 Billion At The Global Box Office 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Everything We Know About 'Stranger Things' Season 5 So Far
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PBS, NPR And Public Media Set To Lose Federal Funding As Package Of Spending Cuts Clears Congress
PBS, NPR and public stations are facing the loss of $1.1 billion in federal funding, as the House cleared final passage of a package of cuts likely to alter the landscape of public media. The House voted 216 to 213 early Friday for the so-called rescissions package, which was sent to Congress at the request of President Donald Trump. The $9 billion in cuts also include rollbacks in funding to foreign aid and health programs. The package will now go to the White House for Trump's signature. More from Deadline Donald Trump Says He Plans To Sue Rupert Murdoch, And The Wall Street Journal Over Jeffrey Epstein Story - Update Ken Burns Calls Trump's Federal Funding Cuts To Public Broadcasting "So Shortsighted" Peter Bart: With YouTube Soaring, PBS Fading And Film Struggling, Critics As We Know Them Might Be An Endangered Species The move will leave the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity set up by Congress to distribute funds to public media outlets, with zeroed out federal funding for the first time since it was formed in 1967. The rescinded money had already been allocated by Congress for the next two fiscal years, starting on April 1. Public media advocates, PBS producers and personalities, station managers and viewers and listeners have been lobbying congressional representatives in recent weeks to preserve the funding, pointing to the unique mandate of the non-commercial outlets to provide educational, cultural and local programming, among other content. But Trump has targeted PBS and NPR, and their news programming in particular, as biased toward the left. That has long been a common complaint on the right, but the president this time around threatened to withhold support or endorsements from any lawmakers who did not support the package. 'Here's the truth: If this rescissions packages was not put forth and passed by Congress, taxpayer dollars would still be funneled to ideologues at PBS and NPR,' said Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC). But Democrats said that funding for public media and foreign aid were being sacrificed after Republicans pushed through the centerpiece of Trump's legislative agenda, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the tax and spending legislation, which passed earlier this month, will add more than $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. Republicans 'blow up the budget for billionaires and then they nickel and dime everyone else to pretend that they care about the debt and deficit,' said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA). 'It's nuts.' More to come. Best of Deadline The Movies That Have Made More Than $1 Billion At The Global Box Office 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Everything We Know About 'Stranger Things' Season 5 So Far
Bloomberg
17-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
PBS, NPR Set to Lose Federal Funding as Senate Passes DOGE Cuts
By , Erik Wasson, and Jack Fitzpatrick Save Republicans are set to succeed in their decades-long quest to end federal funding for public broadcasting after the Senate passed a $9 billion package of cuts derived from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency effort. The Senate voted 51 to 48 to approve the cuts to the Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio and a swath of foreign aid. Two Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowksi of Alaska — voted no.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
After mounting pressure over education cuts, Quebec announces $540M for students
Weeks after mounting pressure from unions and opposition parties for making cuts to education, François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has announced more than half a billion dollars for student services. Education Minister Bernard Drainville announced on social media Wednesday that the provincial government will invest $540 million for the school network and that all funds 'must be used to finance direct services to students, not for anything else.' Quebec's education ministry had come under fire after announcing at the end of the last school year that the network would have to reduce its spending by nearly $570 million by the fall. The ministry had asked English school boards and French-language service centres to cut $510.8 million from the 2025-2026 fiscal year, and an additional $56.9 million from the private schools – for a total of $567.7 million. The announcement on Wednesday did not mention whether or not the requested budget cuts still stand. In response to the request in June, Parti Québécois (PQ) MNA Pascal Bérubé launched a petition on the National Assembly website, calling on the government not to make any cuts that would directly affect student services. As of late Wednesday morning, it had collected 157,739 signatures. Reacting to Drainville's announcement, Bérubé said the newly announced funding is the result of his 'record-breaking petition in education.' On Wednesday, Drainville said in a post on X that he consulted with school organizations and listened to their feedback over the past month. 'These past few weeks have provided an opportunity to review CSS [Centre de services scolaire] spending. This exercise will not continue and intensify,' the minister wrote. On annonce une enveloppe pouvant atteindre 540 millions de dollars pour les services aux élèves. On choisit l'éducation, on choisit nos élèves, sans sacrifier la bonne gestion. Déclaration 👇🏼 — Bernard Drainville (@BDrainvilleQc) July 16, 2025 The new money does come with some conditions. Of the $540 million announced, $425 million will be allocated to a dedicated envelope, and each CSS will have to 'demonstrate that it has made efforts to reduce its administrative expenses and commit to using the money solely for student services. Accountability will be required,' according to Drainville. He added: 'The maximum number of employees at certain CSSs is being increased to take into account their specific circumstances, particularly an increase in the number of students to be enrolled in their territory. In concrete terms, all CSSs will see their budgets increase.' More to come.
