Governor Mike Beebe hopes Arkansas will not have to carry a disproportionate amount of the burden as President Obama and Congress work on a compromise for avoiding the fiscal cliff, should negotiations fail.
Beebe was back in Little Rock Wednesday after a meeting with President Obama, alongside other governors Tuesday at the White House.
The 90 minute meeting with the president also included five other governors, representing both parties and offering the states’ perspectives on negotiations.
Beebe told reporters Wednesday at the Arkansas Capitol that everyone needs to share and sacrifice.
"Fiscal cliff is not where we want to go. And so, the message to both the White House and the Congress was compromise, get together, everybody got to give a little bit. Let’s get this things worked out, let’s don’t default."
Beebe said the two proposals, whether to increase tax or to cut spending, need to be bridged.
"From the standpoint of the realization, you can’t do it all with the cuts and you can’t do it all with increased taxes. But you got to have some combinations. I think the Republicans acknowledge that, I think the Democrats acknowledge that, I think the Congress acknowledges it and the White House acknowledges it."