White House: Wyo. would lost $1.5M in ed funding

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The White House says federal budget cuts set to take effect this week would cost Wyoming about $1.5 million in funding for teachers who work with students with disabilities.

As part of a state-by-state look at the cuts, the Obama administration said Monday that funding pays for about 20 teachers and other staffers. It also said Wyoming would lose $1.1 million in clean water and air funding and possibly about $800,000 in grants for fish and wildlife protection.

As to whether states could move money around to cover shortfalls, the White House said that depends on state budget structures and the specific programs.

A spokesman for House speaker John Boehner said the administration needs to spend less time explaining how bad the sequester will be and more time working to stop it.