December 1, 2008 Patrick not ruling out further budget cuts Play video

(NECN: Boston, Mass.) - Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is not ruling out further budget cuts, saying he would be closely watching revenue figures the next two fiscal quarters. This, as a national research panel determines that the country has officially entered a recession.

Click here to read more from the Boston Globe.

“I don’t know, I hope not,” Patrick said, when asked if further budget cuts would be needed. “We went as deep as we could early on, relatively early on, in the year so we wouldn’t be chasing this ball down the hill.”

But, he added, “We’re prepared to do more.”

Patrick announced a plan in October to fill a $1.4 billion midyear budget gap through a variety of measures, including eliminating 1,000 state jobs through layoffs, retirements, and not filling vacant positions.