The Iowa Senate has voted to cut just over 25-million dollars from the state budget, but in a slightly different way than Republicans had hoped. Senators endorsed a one percent, across-the-board cut, which means administrators decide where to pare. The old plan made cuts in specific programs. Governor Tom Vilsack objected to that old plan, and Senate Republican Leader Stewart Iverson of Dows says that’s why Republicans offered the alternative.Senator Jeff Lamberti, a republican from Ankeny, is chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He says cutting is not something that’s easy, but says it’s both necessary and responsible.Senate Democrat Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs said the Republican plan was no plan at all. He says they’re punting, because they “don’t have the guts” to make the hard choices.Lamberti responded. He says they’re not punting, the governor punted by choosing not to deal with the plan Republicans offered.The new plan incorporates about four-and-a-half million dollars worth of specific budget reductions that Governor Vilsack said he could live with.The revised bill now goes to the House for consideration.
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