Washington Governor Christine Gregoire released a plan to bridge the state’s $2 billion budget gap that would cut university funding and medical benefits for the disabled, as revenue trails initial forecasts. Gregoire, 64, is asking the Legislature to consider her proposal for what she called “truly devastating” cuts or offer alternatives. “I have to confront the reality,” Gregoire, a Democrat, said today at a press briefing in Olympia, Washington’s capital. “The people of our state are not spending. Businesses are not hiring. We need to cut $2 billion more.”
