Politics & Government

Coppinger: First Impacts of 'Fiscal Cliff' Being Seen in Massachusetts

"On a bigger scale, we're beginning to see the first impacts of the 'fiscal cliff' on Massachusetts and if Congress can't get its act together and compromise on a deal, these budget shortfalls will continue to be a problem,

 

Last week Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed half a billion in cuts to deal with low revenues and the "fiscal cliff."

Looking locally, legislators are awaiting what proposals will be come realities. 

Find out what's happening in West Roxburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

State Rep. Ed Coppinger, D-West Roxbury, was asked by Patch about the expected cuts. "We are still waiting to hear exactly which programs will be cut. The 1 percent cut to local aid will hurt municipalities which have already been hard hit since the Recession," said Coppinger.

"We are starting to see good signs in the economy; cuts like these put our progress in a precarious situation. I hope the governor is able to target his cuts smartly and diminish the impact on communities and programs people rely on," said Coppinger.

Find out what's happening in West Roxburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"On a bigger scale, we're beginning to see the first impacts of the 'fiscal cliff' on Massachusetts and if Congress can't get its act together and compromise on a deal, these budget shortfalls will continue to be a problem," said Coppinger.

Coppinger spoke about the domino effect starting at the nation's capital. 

"Our budget deficit could quickly go from $540 million to $900 million if there
is no compromise in Washington D.C. At that point, we will see a significant impact on aid to seniors and programming for children. If people are concerned as I am, I hope they are reaching out to Congressman (Stephen) Lynch and Senators (Scott) Brown and (John) Kerry."


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