Governor Mike Parson announced an additional $47 million in budget cuts during his Monday news briefing.
“COVID-19 is unlike anything we have ever dealt with before,” Parson said. “And like many families during this time, we are making adjustments.”
This cut is in addition to the $180 million in cuts announced at the beginning of April. The money will come from nine state agencies, the attorney general’s office and the general assembly, according to Parson.
“These are not easy decisions, and they are not made lightly,” he said. “But this is the right thing to do to ensure our budget is balanced and we are financially prepared to deal with the impact of COVID-19 moving forward.”
During the news briefing, MO Health Net director Todd Richards expressed optimism about the effectiveness of social distancing policies.
“The data is beginning to indicate that our efforts combined with the social distancing efforts of Missourians have begun to slow the rate of new COVID-19 infections in the state last week,” Richards said.
Sandy Karsten, Director of Missouri’s Department of Public Safety, also provided an update on the 48,000 KN95 masks recalled last week. As of Monday, Missouri has received refunds from all three vendors supplying the masks.