Governor praises state on C-SPAN

Gov. Asa Hutchinson touted Arkansas’ economy and state budget in an appearance Tuesday on C-SPAN, but said Washington will have to find its own solution to federal deficits.

The first-term Republican governor was interviewed and took phone calls from listeners around the country on Washington Journal, as the network’s tour bus made Little Rock its 19th stop in a nationwide tour of state capitals.

The first caller to the show, from Virginia, criticized Hutchinson’s plans to enact a $180 million tax cut next year while the state lags others in road and education quality. Hutchinson said tax cuts were being done without eliminating services.

Other callers were more complimentary, with some complaining about their own states’ taxes and budget woes.

The host of the program, John McArdle, asked Hutchinson about Arkansas’ Revenue Stabilization Act, which categorizes spending in the event of a revenue shortfall. McArdle asked Hutchinson, a former congressman, if such a plan could work at the federal level.

“You cannot take Arkansas’ model and say that’s a perfect example of what we have to do federally,” Hutchinson said, while adding that “we have to move toward controlling our spending.”

Still, Hutchinson expressed optimism over President Donald Trump’s proposed budget, which would continue deficit spending for the next decade. Hutchinson specifically praised proposed increases in military spending.