Late word: House DFL will cut another $500 million to make up difference between tax bill and original target

In our earlier post about the tax deal cut last night in conference committee, I indicated that the $500 million difference between the House DFL’s $1.5 billion target for new revenue and the $1 billion package conferees passed might be made up by a combination of additonal taxes and spending cuts. We’re now hearing from the same staff sources that any further tax hike measures are unlikely, and that the $500 million gap will be made up through spending cuts "across a range of programs."

It’s unclear whether this means the House will embrace spending cuts to education, which it has avoided up to now. It’s also unclear what the initial tax conference committee, which is scheduled to meet again after today’s floor sessions, will be doing with its time. Any agreement on the tax breaks and exemptions they’ve been discussing remains unlikely; if they aren’t adding more new revenue provisions, what will their work consist of at this point?