Parson to restrict $47 million in additional spending as COVID-19 strains budget

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Parson said Monday that he will restrict more spending to balance the state budget as COVID-19 continues to drain resources.

Watch a replay of the news conference in the player below.

Parson at his daily COVID-19 briefing delivered online said he was restricting $47 million in funding for nine state agencies, the attorney general's office and the General Assembly. The withholding for the current budget year is on top of $118 million in restrictions Parson unveiled this month.

"Just as families and businesses have to balance their budgets and make hard decisions, we are doing the same," Parson said Monday.

Parson and Todd Richardson, director of Missouri's Medicaid program known as MO HealthNet, said the state is making progress in reducing new COVID-19 cases as it prepares to lift some restrictions on business and movement.

The governor last week extended a stay-at-home order through May 3 and promised a phased lifting of regulations.

"On Saturday, I spoke with infectious disease doctors from across the state, and the common theme is that we are seeing stabilization in the health care system," Parson said. "We are cautiously optimistic that we are beginning to stabilize, and we are preparing to reopen Missouri for business."

Richardson said the state's health care system is responding well to the pandemic and resources have not been pushed to their limits.

"The good news is the capacity of the health care system to respond to this unprecedented event has expanded dramatically," Richardson said. "And our data indicates that if current social distancing practices continue that Missouri will not see a critical shortage of ICU beds for ventilators, as we've seen in other states."

Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten gave an update on the state's efforts to get back more than $8 million paid for KN95 masks that were deemed to not fit correctly. Karsten last week said the vendor refused to refund the money, but said Monday the vendor planned to give back the funds.

Karsten said after corresponding with the acting State Emergency Management Agency director and the vendor that the "vendor is not opposed and never was opposed" to giving a refund.

The state reported 5,807 COVID-19 cases on Monday, up from 5,667 cases on Sunday. Deaths statewide increased by one, to 177.