Cuts to the state’s approximately $5 billion budget areunavoidable, and Medicaid appears to be the program that will behardest hit by the reductions, said Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant.

Immediately following an address to the members of the annualBoys State program at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, theMississippi Senate leader shared his outlook on the ongoing budgetnegotiations in a divided Legislature. He said budget discussionshave now reached a point where the biggest question is not if thebudget will be trimmed, but by how much.

“If you use realistic numbers today, there’s going to be somecuts. We hope it’s not more than 5 percent,” Bryant said. “Youcan’t spend what you don’t have, and you can’t mortgage thefuture.”

Bryant said education funding – which accounts for more thanhalf the budget – would not be cut because doing so woulddisqualify the state for education stimulus funding. He saidMedicaid would likely bear the brunt of the budget cuts, and thosecuts could be worse if the House and Senate fail to approve a $90million hospital assessment.

“The House really doesn’t want to bring up the hospital tax, sothe cuts will have to be absorbed by Medicaid,” he said.

The biggest obstacle legislators are facing in budgetnegotiations, Bryant said, is the Democratic-led House’s insistenceon full funding.

“The toughest struggle we’re having is the Senate is trying touse real numbers,” he said. “On some occasions, the House tries toproject revenue that doesn’t exist.”

Bryant also lamented the possibility of cuts to the Departmentof Public Safety, a scenario that would likely leave no funding fortraining new highway patrolmen to replace 50-70 troopers who arepreparing to retire. Bryant said every time a highway patrolman istaken off the road, people die.

“The hardest thing I have to do is realize that if we don’t comeup with the money to fund the highway patrol, people are going todie,” he said.

When asked by Boys State members about the Legislature’saccomplishments thus far this session, Bryant touted the ChildrenFirst Act of 2009 established in Senate Bill 2628. The act providesfor the removal of superintendents and school board members whopreside over school districts that fail two years in a row.

“Nowhere else in America is there a law like that,” Bryant said.”But we’re so concerned with putting our children first that we’regoing to allow those people who can’t run school districts to go dosomething else.”

The lieutenant governor also fielded a question concerning the”good possibility” that he will run for governor in 2011,analogizing a football team to describe how seeking that office isthe next step for him.

“If you owned a pro football team and the quarterback said, ‘Idon’t ever really want to go to the Super Bowl,’ would you keephim? No!” Bryant said. “You want a quarterback who wants to go allthe way, and going all the way could mean running forgovernor.”

Bryant said he could bring experience to the governor’s office,pointing out that he has worked with governors for 15 years throughpositions in the House and as state auditor.

“I think you have to know what you stand for – I’m aconservative Republican,” he said. “You may say, ‘Well, that’s notwhat we want.’ Well, don’t vote for me.”