McConnell, Bunning Owe State $240 Million

That's how much they took away from Kentucky taxpayers Thursday when they refused to allow the U.S. Senate to vote on extending federal aid to hard-hit state budgets.

Gov. Steve Beshear says the state could come up nearly $240 million short early next year if a federal spending bill defeated by a Senate Republican filibuster doesn’t pass.

The spending measure defeated in Washington on Thursday includes a new round of aid to states.

Beshear said Friday that Kentucky is relying on the spending measure for a six-month extension of a higher federal Medicaid match that is to last until year’s end. Medicaid is the state-federal health insurance program that covers about 790,000 low-income and disabled Kentuckians.

Beshear said that having to re-balance the budget to offset the loss of nearly $240 million would be a “horrendous” task. He said virtually every state program would face significant reductions.

The $17.3 billion, two-year budget that takes effect Thursday already included broad spending cuts.

Make no mistake; congressional republicans don't give a flying fuck about the deficit except how they can use it to prevent Democrats from fixing the economic crisis. They want the country to fall into Depression - as long as they can blame it on Democrats in time for the November election.