Mississippi governor calling lawmakers into special session to seek a budget deal

Audio By Carbonatix

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers are headed back to the state Capitol after failing to pass a budget in their regular session, called back by Gov. Tate Reeves for a special session starting Wednesday.

Reeves summoned the lawmakers earlier in the week, saying a proposed $7.1 billion deal before the legislators was “fiscally conservative.” He expressed hope that a final agreement could be secured quickly for the upcoming fiscal year that begins on July 1.

“It is my belief that this should not take long. In fact, I believe the passage of these bills could be done in as little as one day,” Reeves said at a news conference Tuesday when he announced the special session.

Republicans, who control both chambers of the legislature, were unable to reach agreement on the next budget in their recent session. Mississippi Today reported GOP infighting led lawmakers to end their regular session in early April without passing a 2026 budget.

“There weren’t a lot of huge disagreements on funding of the core functions of government. There were quite a few disagreements on issues out here,” Reeves said, gesturing to the side, “which led to them not funding the core functions of government.”

Reeves said the proposed budget would keep recurring spending at roughly the same level as the current budget. But he acknowledged that uncertainty over the federal budget has played a role in budget planning.

In Washington, House Republicans were jubilant after muscling through President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and immigration package by a single vote last week and sending it for what is expected to be long negotiations in the Senate.

“There are still a lot of unknowns about what the federal government budget is going to look like going into the next fiscal year, and so I think that it certainly makes sense for states — all states and certainly Mississippi — to be prepared for whatever may occur coming out of the one big beautiful bill,” Reeves said.